Unwayon the completed version
by Q'ling Pa
Summary: Methos revisits his past and reunites with his son


This was first archive on fanfiction.net way back in 2002. I found this story while cleaning out some old flopppies and discovered I never got around to posting the completed version on line, sorry!  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
I have been motivated to write this story because of the abundance of  
  
great fanfic on the web. One really good story, Michelle Martin's  
  
Witness, is really worth searching out. Secondly, I love crossover  
  
stories; they allow the great character ideas of multiply talented authors  
  
to be combined into fables found nowhere else, except the web. So here  
  
goes (and I appreciate the criticism). The characters utilized DO NOT  
  
belong to me, nor did I have the creative genus to concoct them in the  
  
first place. This fic is strictly written out of appreciation of having  
  
such well developed characters that their stories surpass the limits of  
  
commercial television production. If anyone knows the formal names of the  
  
production companies who own these characters, please give them my best.  
  
Also, if there are any historical and geographical inaccuracies, well  
  
email. I've decided to take the lazy approach and claim poetic license.  
  
Below is a crossover tale involving mostly Highlander and the  
  
X-files, the two most popular fanfic topics on the web. And, the rating is PG  
  
UNWAYON  
  
I. part one  
  
He walked alone on the dusty road headed back to his village with his head  
  
held down. He had lived such a pleasant life the past 15 years there and  
  
was terribly sorry to see it end. But, alas, his wife's once raven colored  
  
hair had begun to lose its glimmer and fade into a distant silvery shadow  
  
and her limp from advance aging had become almost debilitating; he knew it  
  
wouldn't be long before his "death" would pull him away from the home he  
  
loved so much. He loved Onca, as much as he had loved his other 58 wives  
  
but time was not his ally. It was his nemesis, his dark shadow, his  
  
never-ending companion. It was, in the end, his only companion.  
  
Fortunately, there seemed to be few on his kind on this new continent he  
  
found. He had stowed away as a hired guard on a prison ship headed for a  
  
place called Queensland. It was a beautiful place, tranquil and  
  
unblemished. He wondered why prisoners and other societal outcasts had the  
  
benefit of relocating here. Although, he knew, the others didn't see it as  
  
a haven. There were no cities, no towns, nothing of substance that  
  
reminded the comfort loving europeans of their beloved homelands. But to  
  
him, it was one of the first spots to remind him of his early days. His  
  
idlic days of youth before his awareness of immortality, before the years  
  
of loneliness and isolation had eaten at his soul, before the madness of  
  
the horseman. Yes, this place was paradise and here he could be free.  
  
Onca's people were more than friendly, and they didn't question his unusual  
  
healing abilities. They accepted him as a protector and teacher in the  
  
village. Peshon had even honored him by giving his Onca what he couldn't  
  
give her, a son. He reflected on the insemination ritual performed so many  
  
years ago as he watched the current tribal elder, Fathon- his son, teach  
  
the younger men the way of taming the sea serpents and harvesting their  
  
eggs. It hadn't been a shame for him to request help in rearing a family;  
  
nor did his wife object to his decision. Onca was more than happy to simply  
  
be his wife but she complied with his order. It had surprised him  
  
that Peshon, one of the most respected men in the tribe at the time accepted  
  
his request. Peshon reminded him of how he had cured his father of the  
  
dreaded white man's plague for which he would be forever grateful. It  
  
had been a good life, so good that he had forgotten the evils of the world  
  
and the truths of his nature for so many years. Until.....  
  
Many more englishmen and other europeans began streaming into paradise as  
  
the settlers built town and cities and ports. He warned the tribe of white  
  
man's ways so they were well prepared for their encroachment. In fact all  
  
had gone well until he saw him. Benjamin Guiture is the name he carried  
  
these days; he knew him as another foolish headhunter who believed the  
  
rumors of a great prize to the last immortal on earth.   
  
His "brothers", the horsemen, had made up the story as a way of determining   
  
who would lead their party. Their game had become a rally cry for the purposeless  
  
immortals who roamed the earth.* He believed that they were part of a  
  
fallen race, who had long ago either forgotten or were striped of  
  
understanding about why and what they were. That was his theory. He didn't  
  
know for sure where immortals originated but he knew that the game was just  
  
that, an empty game that he wanted no part of.   
  
He pitied Benjamin Guiture, and those like him because he understood their steadfast   
  
belief. It was all they had to dull the pain of loneliness and of lives lived too long. He  
  
wasn't going to burst their bubble, but he didn't want any part of their'game' either.   
  
He had to leave. The tribe would be in more danger from one immortal trying to flush   
  
out a possible trophy than from the "civilizing" of their homeland. But he didn't have a   
  
chance to exit quietly...  
  
Shortly after settling down in the middle meeting place to share with the  
  
elders the day's discoveries, the young lad Mishak, assigned the task of guarding  
  
the village women, came running towards the elders and frantically led them  
  
to the washing pond. He nearly buckled over from both dread and pain as he  
  
felt the immortal signature as he approached the beach.   
  
"I am Benjamin Guiture and I'm here for your head. Show yourself or I will kill   
  
one of these sniffling mortal females each minute I wait" the head man bellowed.  
  
The women had taken the laundry to the village stream and no one was aware  
  
that it had already been staked out until they were ambushed. Guiture had  
  
hired several unscrupulous white men to help him pin down the women. Upon  
  
hearing Guiture's challenge he had no other choice but race back to the  
  
village and retrieve his sword from its protected hiding place underneath  
  
their hut. Before he had the chance to properly greet the interloper and  
  
request a more private battlefield he heard on of the maidens cry out  
  
"Grand papa!!" Onsa had cried out to him using the affectionate term he had  
  
taught his progeny. Although if she had been his natural offspring he would  
  
have been her great grandfather, she like the others all called him by the  
  
same name. She had gone with her mother to earn how to do the wash. She ws  
  
beginning to near the time of betrothal and her parents were trying to  
  
prepare her. He could have fallen over stricken in pain at her yell because  
  
Guiture simultaneously heard the call of affection and aimed his rifle  
  
straight at her forehead.  
  
"So this mortal damme considers you to be her grandpa? How touching. Draw  
  
your sword or she will surely die first."   
  
He inhaled a strong gust of air.He had been afraid this day would come which   
  
is why he had begun resharpening his skills. However, at this moment, looking   
  
into the eyes of Onsa and intothe faces of the entire village that had gathered at   
  
the river, he almostforgot how to even lift the hilt.   
  
"I am... Methos and I have no quarrel with you. Leave us in peace."   
  
"PEACE? What has peace to do with us?" the immortal droned derisively.   
  
"You will fight me or they will die, starting with your precious 'granddaughter'."   
  
"Promise me that if I fail and you take my head that the tribe will not be harmed"   
  
Methos asked him, pleaded with his eyes.   
  
"What did I have to do with mortals? What do we have to do with mortals. They   
  
mean nothing to me, just hindrances and annoyances. I will not harm them after I   
  
take your head. But you better try to put up a fight. Its been a long time since I had   
  
a sparring partner." he sneered.  
  
With that statement he knew Guiture would not keep his word and would  
  
slaughter the entire tribe in his absence. With strong conviction and  
  
resolved he lifted his chest and head and ran into battle. In his mind he  
  
was no loner Unwayon, the ever bright star, but Death, the name he had  
  
arrogantly claimed so many years before. Guiture had no idea how swift his  
  
death would come.  
  
The entire village fell to their faces as they witnessed to power of  
  
Guiture's quickening. Guiture had taken many heads in his day and  
  
consequently released a powerful surge at his demise. The europeans in the  
  
distant towns even felt the tremors of Guiture's death, coupled by the  
  
reception of the quickening by such an old immortal. The hired guns fled,  
  
leaving both their guns and horses in fear. When Unwayon reopened his eyes  
  
he saw a more terrifying sight than the gun pointed at Onsa's head. The  
  
tribe, his family were looking upon him as if he were a god, some sort of  
  
powerful creature that had come from above.   
  
"I ... I have no powers, I am not magic" he protested in the tribe's language,   
  
vainly trying to undo the damage a single quickening had done. It was no use.   
  
He would have to leave or else condemn the tribe to vain worship. With tears   
  
in his eyes, he stoleaway from the village that evening. Although no one had   
  
forbade him to come, the tribal community was having a private meeting   
  
concerning the recently exposed deity in their mist.  
  
1998  
  
"Mulder? What are you digging up now, or should I even ask?" Scully looked  
  
down humorously at her brilliant yet misguided partner.   
  
Mulder had come to the office earlier than usually today. He had received an   
  
email for an oldarcheological buddy of his down in Australia. Apparently they   
  
had justfound some old tribal paintings that confirmed a local superstition held by  
  
both native Caucasian and Aborigines alike.  
  
"I know we are researching some old unresolved x-files but don't you think  
  
that a century's old myth is a bit too much?" she inquired after perusing  
  
the case file copy handed to her by Mulder.  
  
"Don't you see Scully? A beheading, the release of enough energy to cause  
  
earth tremors across the countryside? If this isn't an x-file then I don't  
  
know what one is" he stated emphatically.  
  
"Well, have fun trying to interview some of the first hand witnesses. And  
  
don't forget to explain to Skinner the national importance of such an  
  
ancient case to the United States when you go ask him for funding" Scully  
  
retorted, a bit more smugly than usual.  
  
"I don't have to, we're already on the case" Mulder smiled.  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"Take a look at this other file" Mulder pointed out. "In the past few years  
  
there has been a rash of unresolved Joe/Jane doe beheading, all around the  
  
global. Interpol doesn't even have a clue at whose behind them. Also, any  
  
suspects located have either turned up dead or beheaded themselves.  
  
Recently there was a beheading outside of Seattle somewhat near where the   
  
President was making yet another plea of money. Of course the U.S. justice   
  
department is embarrassed to report to all the international media that they   
  
had no leads or suspects."  
  
"But how does this relate to this century's old tribal legion?" Scully  
  
inquired.  
  
"Because many of the beheading site also suffered from either mild or  
  
massive electrical damage. We even have multiple eye witness reports of  
  
seeing lighting in the middle of clear night skies, from all around the  
  
world. Something paranormal is going on here and that's why Skinner has  
  
assigned the case to us." Then Mulder said with a coy smile "He said if  
  
anyone can close this case, its us."  
  
"He did not say that."  
  
"Well, maybe not with those words, but I could tell from his eyes that's  
  
what he meant."  
  
"So where do we begin the investigation? Australia?"  
  
"No, unfortunately. My contact is sending me photographs and lithographs of  
  
all the paintings and carvings found at their dig sites. He's also sending  
  
me audios of all the colloquial testimonies collected. He has even found  
  
the name of the mythical creature encircled in light that's drawn in the  
  
middle of that picture." Mulder pointed.  
  
" What / Who was he?"  
  
"The Un-wa-yone, the one who shines forever as the stars..... Don't you  
  
think their reference to the stars is kind of interesting?"  
  
"Only to someone who sees aliens lurking beneath every unturned stone" Scully  
  
groaned. "So, where ARE we headed then?"   
  
"To the site of the president's last begging stand, Seacouver."  
  
**********************************************  
  
Pound, pound, pound..." GO Away!"  
  
Pound, pound ,... '"Leave me alone highlander before I get up and cut off  
  
your head!" Methos growled from behind the door.  
  
"Come on Methos, we both promised Joe we would go fishing with him this  
  
morning and now its time to go!!!!", MacLeod retorted through the door.  
  
"No, YOU promised him that YOU would go fishing with him this morning. I  
  
said that I MIGHT show up at your camp sometime after ONE P.M." Methos  
  
stressed, while trying to keep his head flat against the couch pillow.  
  
"Come on Methos, Joe doesn't ask much"  
  
Why, he though, why do I have such early rising idiots as friends? Methos  
  
pondered to himself. He reminiscence about his time with the Pesquna. Now  
  
they were my kind of people. They never got before the full sun was in the  
  
sky. Hmmm, even though their enemies used that custom to slaughter them all in the  
  
early morning hour, there's still a lot of merit to their way of  
  
thinking. Methos mused to himself.  
  
"I hope you know that I brought along a tape player and a cassette of that  
  
Lawrence Welch music you love so much.... to be played a top volume until  
  
your door is opened and you are ready to go."  
  
Oh yes, Ducan's going to be spitting out river water, Methos plotted  
  
silently to himself.  
  
*p.s. the reference Methos makes about the game being devised by his  
  
brother's is also NOT my original idea. There's a story, by Janeen  
  
Groshsmeyer and Genevieve Clemens, housed in the highlander anthology that  
  
sets up that idea. It was a REALLY good one; it's title is Just a Game.  
  
It's worth looking for it- and I would like to thank it's authors for  
  
writing it.   
  
**********************************************************************  
  
II part two  
  
"Methos, in all your years on this planet have you ever contributed one  
  
positive thing to humanity?" MacLeod snarled as he continued to dry his  
  
dripping hair.  
  
"Just because I helped perpetuate the 'revenge is sweet' rally cry, you  
  
accuse me of over five thousand years of corruption?"  
  
"Uh-huh"  
  
sigh  
  
"when you two finish fussing at each other maybe you could show off your  
  
'years of wisdom and well honed skills' and help me catch lunch." Joe said  
  
to his friends while silently laughing at MacLeod's drenched state. Going  
  
fishing with these two was much more fun that than with his less than jovial  
  
watcher buddies. I guess living a long life helps you develop a good  
  
sense of humor  
  
Seacour  
  
"Well Mulder, where do we begin on this dusty ole goose chase of yours"  
  
Scully chided as she walked into Mulder's hotel room through their  
  
adjoining doors.  
  
"I've already contacted the local police and requested that you perform an  
  
autopsy on the most recent beheading victim. I told them that we were in no  
  
way seeking to interfere or usurp their jurisdiction on this case. I said  
  
the MO related to another investigation we were pursuing and we just wanted  
  
to see if they related."  
  
"And they believed you?"  
  
"I'm not sure but since they didn't get a call from the Bureau redirecting  
  
control of the investigation I think they're a little more at ease with our  
  
presence than most locals. They even gave us a tip on a local business man  
  
who has been called in several times on suspicion of involvement. His  
  
name's Ducan MacLeod. He's never been linked directly to any of  
  
the murders. The locals don't have anything on him to justify bringing him  
  
in for questioning."  
  
"And you plan to just walk up to him and expect him to answer questions  
  
from a federal agent? He probably knows he's under no legal obligation to  
  
answer any of them without an official warrant"  
  
"If he truly has nothing to hide, then I don't think he should have any  
  
objections. Besides who can resist me when I say please?"  
  
groan- by Scully  
  
"Where are we going to meet up with him?"  
  
"The locals say MacLeod hangs out at a popular bar named 'Joe's'. The owner  
  
Joe Dawson has also been considered with suspicion on these cases but the  
  
locals doubt that Mr. Dawson was involved. "  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Mr. Dawson has two artificial legs. The scuff marks found at most homicide  
  
sites suggest that the victim and the perpetrator were engaged in some kind  
  
of high motion maneuvers prior to the victim's death. The local forensics  
  
team went so far to say that the foot movement resembled some kind of  
  
sparring match like boxing..... or fencing."  
  
" Mulder, don't start using circumstantial evidence to support your far  
  
fetched theories...."  
  
"Its NOT circumstantial. The forensics team confirmed that some type of  
  
fighting match occurred, they just couldn't confirm what type it was  
  
exactly. But considering that the victims head was cut off by a very sharp  
  
blade, it stand to reason logically that it was a fencing match."  
  
"okay, I will agree that your argument is somewhat plausible"  
  
"good, " Mulder then whispered under his breathe 'I wonder if their swords  
  
work something like a lifesaver'  
  
"MULDER!!!"  
  
smile - Mulder  
  
******************  
  
Ring, ring ringring rrrrriiiiinnnngrrrrriiiinggg  
  
ringringringringring rirrriiirrrriiiinnnnnnnnnnnngg  
  
"MacLeod, do you now how close to death you are?"  
  
"How did you know it was me?"  
  
"NO ONE, and I mean No One but you would dare to call me at this hour."  
  
"I don't get it? It's only 11 o'clock at nigh. I though you always sleep in"  
  
"Just because I get up late doesn't mean that I don't go to bed early. Now,  
  
what do you want?"  
  
pause "There could be some trouble. The feds are investigating Fabian's  
  
death."  
  
"Oh man, oh man.... why did that jerk have to catch me taking a midnight  
  
stroll." Methos mused and why was I out taking a midnight stroll in the  
  
first place, hmmm moron "humph"  
  
"Do they have any thing to connect me to him? And how did you find this out?"  
  
"Two feds just showed up a Joe's not to long ago. They claimed that their  
  
visit was unofficial, but I know the police probably gave them my name.  
  
Thankfully I have a rock solid alibi."  
  
"Yeah, you were out of town and that's why that head hunter jumped me. Why  
  
didn't the watchers clean up the mess?"  
  
"You' re the one whose invisible to the watchers and Joe said that Fabian  
  
tripped up his watcher in Montreal last week. They had been trying to track  
  
him down ever since."  
  
"Well, I don't have a record here, I think."  
  
"No, but your name will appear in the police file as a close associate of  
  
mine."  
  
silence  
  
"I'll see you in about a month or two."  
  
"Where are you going? If you try to leave the country now the feds will  
  
surely find out and suspect you."  
  
"Naw, I've hidden myself quite well from many a law enforcer in my time.  
  
I'm an expert."  
  
"So where are you going?"  
  
"Not to far, but not to close either. I've got an old persona I can dredge  
  
up. Besides I've been wanting to revisit this little town for years... I've  
  
got an... investment there I want to check up on"  
  
"Okay, but please be careful and call."  
  
"Yes, mommy"  
  
Cascade  
  
Methos slowly walked through the city park gazing at the lake. What had  
  
possessed him to come here of all places? You know why you wanted to come  
  
back. Fabian was just an excuse. You want to see him and make sure  
  
everything is alright Methos nodded his head to himself. About three  
  
months ago he had seen his picture on a Washington state new broadcast. He  
  
had declared himself a fraud before everyone. When Methos heard the report  
  
his heart sank within him. He never meant to cause any problems, but of  
  
course he had. It was an accident, but he knew that creating a  
  
guardian-guide pair in the middle of a U.S. city would be very problematic.  
  
*************************  
  
Thirty-eight years ago  
  
Methos had been in the cafe eating a quiet lunch when they came in.  
  
Unfortunately, they selected the table on the other side of the partition.  
  
Methos growled under his breathe as he listened to the couple's  
  
not-so-silent argument.  
  
"Grace, I don't know why you are so upset. This is excellent. Its about  
  
time we started a family. My parents even asked me.."  
  
"DON'T tell me we should do things just because your parents think its a  
  
good idea. Your mother's not the one who will have to carry this child  
  
around for eight more months. And speaking of time, who is going to be here  
  
to help me? You are constantly running off to one out of town meeting after  
  
another. You're never home !!!""  
  
"Grace, please calm down. It's not good for the baby. You know why I always  
  
volunteer to replace Mr. Giddings at those meetings. He's planning to  
  
retire in about two more months and I will be in a prime position to  
  
replace him."  
  
"Oh yeah, my loving hubby, the opportunist"  
  
"I didn't hear you complain when my hard work paid off with a pay raise  
  
last year. I remember exactly how you gloated to Sherie Philip, 'most  
  
people our age haven't amassed such a status as we have. I guess we're just  
  
above average'. I didn't hear you complaining about the number of hours I  
  
spent on the road then."  
  
"That was different. You just don't know how often that woman talks  
  
about her husband's success at his law firm. She even said she was was glad  
  
to be above the middle class slump. I was just dishing it out back to  
  
her.... Will, I just don't want to be stuck here pregnant and helpless  
  
while you're half way across the country. What if something were to happen.  
  
Who would be there to help me?"  
  
"Grace, my parents are only..."  
  
"Don't talk to me about your parents! You know what your mother thinks  
  
about me. I will not be treated like a lowlife scum in my own house!!!"  
  
"Grace, I have talked to my mother. I told her that if she ever treated you  
  
again like she did last Thanksgiving...."  
  
"Save it Will, I can see that this is a pointless conversation. You just  
  
don't care... You're just glad I'm finally producing an Ellison heir to  
  
carry on your family's precious name. I'm nothing more to you than a  
  
breeding sow."  
  
"Grace, how can you say that!!!"  
  
With those final biting words the woman quickly left their table and  
  
practically ran to the rest room. She would have made it if a waiter  
  
pushing the buffet cart hadn't decided that moment to appeared....  
  
WHAM!!!  
  
The woman hit the food cart hard, very hard in the abdomen. She let out a  
  
small yelp as she crumpled to the floor. Since Methos was relatively close  
  
to her he ran over to check her status. She was bleeding. Methos could  
  
see the blood sweeping through her floral yellow dress. On no he though  
  
to himself, if she miscarries, I don't think she could live with herself  
  
Without thinking Methos reached over to touch the woman's abdomen. Before  
  
he could control it he felt the quickening energy escape his palm and  
  
transfer into the woman.  
  
what have I done!!! what have I done Methos backed away from the woman   
  
in horror. By that time her husband had reached her and was cradling his wife's   
  
head. The blood flowing from her body stopped spreading. Methos slowly   
  
walked back to his table. He could fill his body alive with energy. why now!!!   
  
This town is the worst place to put a guardian. How am I going to fix this?   
  
As one of the oldest remaining immortals, Methos was aware  
  
there were certain abilities he had that weren't shared by many others.  
  
One was the ability to transfer of a portion of his quickening power. Eons  
  
ago he had discovered the power accidentally while living with a small  
  
nomadic tribe in present day Algeria. The wife of the man who had sponsored  
  
him started to miscarry their baby. Methos, who fulfilled the role of  
  
village healer was frantic about the situation and was desperate to save  
  
the man's unborn child. While tending to the sicken mother he laid his  
  
hands on her abdomen near were the baby's head laid. His sole thought at  
  
the time was that the baby survive. He almost fainted in shock as he felt  
  
his quickening energy pass from his hands. The woman's facial color almost  
  
immediately cleared up with the transfer. Six months later, the woman had a  
  
healthy baby boy. Methos tried to stay around the tribe as long as he could  
  
to observe the child. He wondered if the child would become an immortal.  
  
Instead the child seemed to posses strange sensory abilities that none of  
  
the tribe elders could explain. As the child grew older, his abilities  
  
began to overwhelm him. He would hid in a dark hut with several animal  
  
hides wrapped around his head to block out the sounds. Methos cried  
  
inwardly to himself regarding the boy's fate. It would have be better for  
  
him to have been still born than to suffer a life like this one.  
  
Eventually Methos had to leave the village as he was no longer able to  
  
disguise his non aging face.  
  
After three months of traveling south Methos was nearly ambushed by the  
  
village protectors' of another tribe. Methos was surprised and intrigued to  
  
find out that one of his assailants also had super sensory perceptions as  
  
the boy did in the nomadic tribe. His tribal title translated as 'guardian'  
  
and he was responsible for their protection. Even more amazing to Methos  
  
was that the man was able to control his senses through the help of his  
  
associate, the other guardian. The other man didn't have the same heighten  
  
senses but he seemed more perceptive of natural forces. Methos had to  
  
determine how these two were able to function so well with the intent of  
  
taking the information back to the nomadic tribe. So he made a special  
  
hunting trip into the Saharan region in search on a lion. He knew that if  
  
he were to snare such a prey both the tribe's leaders and shaman would be  
  
willing to share the secret of their guardians with him.  
  
It was a fierce battle. Methos died at least twice from heat exhaustion and  
  
once after being attacked by a lioness he was stalking. Fortune eventually  
  
one out and he was able to slay a sleeping male. He fashioned a carrier out  
  
of two tree trunks and dragged the lion carcass back to the tribe. When the  
  
watchman saw his approach he immediately called for the elders to greet the  
  
master hunter. Methos told the leaders his price for the complete lion  
  
carcass, the story behind the guardians.  
  
"Jakun, we can not reveal to this stranger the past of our protectors.  
  
Their spirit guides may resent us and depart from Mesuz's mind. Then we  
  
would be vulnerable to all enemies."  
  
"Tikena, look at what this stranger had done. He may be as the Holtun that  
  
gave life to Mesuz and Minkron. I have consulted with the ancients since  
  
learning of his request. They have not forbidden me from sharing that  
  
information from the stranger."  
  
"Jakun, you are our shaman, and as such I will give you respect. But the  
  
spirits only speak to the guardian; how would you know if they had  
  
forbidden it or not?"  
  
"Then we should ask them if they will permit the telling."  
  
"Tikena's right, only the guardians will know if this stranger is clean  
  
enough to hear the the telling. And it may well be that he is the same as  
  
the Holtun. Look at him; he has killed and carried a full grown male lion  
  
from the great abyss and there isn't a single scratch on him. Let us  
  
consult the guardians."  
  
That evening Methos' understanding of his kind changed radically. The  
  
elders told him a story of a man who came staggering into their tribe  
  
bleeding from the stomach. The area suffered greatly from random attacks  
  
by raiders and the lone traveler had suffered a terrible assault. After the  
  
man died, the village women came out to wash and prepare the body for  
  
burial. One of the women was pregnant at the time but didn't know it. She  
  
would become Mesuz's mother. As the women were carrying the man, he  
  
revived. His head and hands were near the pregnant woman's womb and his  
  
quickening energy shot through his hands into her body. The village though  
  
the man was some type of god and held him in reverence, giving him the name  
  
Holtun, meaning undying king.   
  
The immortal, one of the more unscrupulous ones, took advance of his status   
  
and required the service of a new village woman each night by convincing them   
  
that he need the women's 'service' to maintain his power. Somehow, in a way   
  
Methos has never been able tofigure out, the Holtun managed to impregnate one   
  
of the women. Methos reasoned later that maybe his quickening knew that it had   
  
to produce a companion for the first guardian. Methos didn't know. He told the   
  
village shaman that immortals were always infertile and asked him if he had any  
  
ideas on how the Holtun was able to procreate. The shaman, named Jakun,  
  
suggested that the tribes' spirit guides enabled the Holtun to sire a  
  
companion for the first guardian. Anyway, as the children aged the  
  
villagers discovered that they were different from the other children.  
  
Mesuz was able to see and hear things others could not. Plus by just  
  
touching the ground he was able to feel when an army or band of men were  
  
approaching, thus warning the tribe of the local marauders. At first the  
  
villagers though that he was accursed (the Holtun was publicly beheaded by  
  
another traveling immortal who was disgusted by his abuse of the village  
  
women). Mesuz also thought he was accursed since he could not control the  
  
intensity in which he received stimuli. Several times when trying to scout  
  
out potential threats he would fall into a deep trance only to revive  
  
several days later.   
  
As Minkon grew older he became oddly obsessed with helping Mesuz. He told   
  
the tribal leaders that the tribal guardian, the night owl, had commanded him to   
  
help Mesuz control his abilities. Together they were able to; Minkon acted as an   
  
anchor to Mesuz when his senses overwhelmed him thus preventing him from   
  
falling into trances and improving his ability to watch over and warn the tribe   
  
of approaching dangers.  
  
Methos was fascinated with the tale. He had no idea that the immortal  
  
quickening power could affect mortals. He thanked the tribe and hurriedly  
  
traveled back to the site the nomads were previously positioned.  
  
Unfortunately his trek back took a month longer than when he left. After he  
  
traced the new dwelling of the tribe he found out that the boy had thrown  
  
himself into a swiftly running river current. Apparently he had become so  
  
enraptured by the flowing water's colors that he foolishly jumped into  
  
them. Methos wept for two days after learning about the boy. Weeping was a  
  
relatively new experience for him, after causing so many to weep when he  
  
ran with the horseman. Now Methos seemed to feel everything more intensely.  
  
He promised himself to be careful around mortals and to make sure any  
  
mortal his quickening may alter had help to deal with the changes.  
  
Now Methos was in trouble. It had been literally centuries since he caused  
  
another guardian-guide pair. When he traveled in African and South American  
  
villages he would create them as way of returning the kindness bestowed on  
  
him by the tribe. There he had less trouble convincing the tribe that the  
  
guardians were a good thing and that they offered protection to the tribe.  
  
He didn't dare to consider creating a guardian pair in any of the western  
  
European countries or in the U.S. The modern thinkers of those lands would  
  
undoubtedly scoff at the guardian notion and make life miserably for them.  
  
So what was he going to do?  
  
maybe I didn't really share my quickening. It could have been just a  
  
passing slip up and I'm just imaging the worst. Stop kidding your Methos,  
  
You better go find a new wife quick to make a companion to the sentinal.  
  
Methos made a mental note to go wife shopping the next day. But bad karma  
  
won out. As Methos was scooping out the female population of the local  
  
university, he felt the tale tell signs of another immortal. Methos had  
  
hoped his challenger was also hiding out from the game. Instead the  
  
immortal turned out to be a headhunter. Methos has to flee town that  
  
evening since his swordmanship had seen much better days. He made a silent  
  
promise to the unborn child to produce a companion child.  
  
It took him over ten years before Methos could return to Cascade. The  
  
immortal headhunter followed him as he left Washington, and Methos had to  
  
hide out in an Egyptian mosque for five years until another immortal took  
  
care of his shadow. The first immortal didn't know that he was the Methos,  
  
but he was old enough to be able to tell that Methos' quickening energy was  
  
ancient. After the headhunter was taken care of various mishaps and  
  
misfortunes prevented Methos' return to the States. He was terrible afraid  
  
for the child guardian he had created, but his hands were temporarily tied.  
  
When he returned to Cascade the first thing he did was search out the Ellison   
  
family. They weren't hard to locate as the eldest son, the future guardian, was   
  
in the local news for discovering a murdered body. Given the stress the family   
  
was undergoing at the time and the amount of police involvement  
  
with the family due to the investigation, Methos thought it unwise to try  
  
to approach the boy. He observed him from afar at the local elementary  
  
school. He got a job as a substitute teacher so he could discreetly watch  
  
the boy, whose was named James. Methos was relieved to discover that either  
  
the boy's senses were dormant or that the boy was able to repress them  
  
because his observations yielded nothing unusual about their family life.  
  
With the exception of their chronically absent father, the boy's life  
  
seemed ideal. Methos, however, hadn't forgotten his purpose of finding wife  
  
number 59 to bare the companion.  
  
It was at this point in his musings that Methos sat down on the park bench  
  
closest to the water's edge. It was here that he meet her; a completely  
  
random accident brought him face to face with both the mother of his child  
  
and love of his life. Methos had had quite a few wives, and he loved them  
  
all, but only a few made it to his life long love list. Naomi was one of  
  
them.  
  
*************************  
  
"Good news Scully, we've got a lead." Mulder said to Scully as he was  
  
hanging up the telephone in the hotel room they were using as an office. "A  
  
couple reported seeing two men in the park on the night of the beheading.  
  
They gave the locals descriptions of both the dead John Doe and the  
  
probable assailant."  
  
"Why haven't they come forward before now?"  
  
"They didn't know there was a killing. You know how the locals have been  
  
keeping these beheadings hush hush. I still haven't figured out how they  
  
have kept the local news media out of it. Anyway it was a teenage couple  
  
who had sneaked away form their homes to meet that night. They reported  
  
that the younger of the two, the possible assailant, seemed very uncomfortable   
  
and behaved like he wanted to get away from the other guy. But the dead John   
  
Doe, according to the couple, grabbed his arm and lead him deeper into the park.   
  
The couple only came in to report the incident after finding the yellow crime   
  
scene tape in the park last night when they went to rendezvous with each other."  
  
"humm, that's interesting. So do you think it was self defense?"  
  
"I don't know. there was a fight and two sets of blood samples. If it was,  
  
the other guy was prepared for it. That doesn't seem exactly like self  
  
defense to me. And don't forget the murder weapon. How many victims run off  
  
with their attacker's sword?"  
  
"Alleged weapon"  
  
"Scully, you examined that neck wound. What else could have done that?  
  
Besides, guess what else the couple reported?"  
  
"Should I ask?"  
  
"They left early that evening because of an impending thunder storm."  
  
"Wait a minute, it wasn't raining the night of the murder."  
  
"I know. The teens reported seeing the sky fill up with lighting and they  
  
hear the sound of trees being struck by lighting."  
  
"Mulder, the testimony of two kids doesn't prove that the electrical damage  
  
found at the murder scene had anything to do with John Doe's death."  
  
"Come on Scully, those are just way too many coincidences."  
  
"Maybe,...... so what are the locals doing with the teens' descriptions?"  
  
"They have already sent out some investigators with copies of the artist's  
  
rendering of the description. They are checking all transportation agencies  
  
to see if the perp has left town. The locals have just finally gotten  
  
around to calling us. They've had this information since 10 this morning."  
  
"What!!! Don't they know that they are hindering a federal investigation by  
  
doing that?"  
  
"Scully, you know how locals are. They......"  
  
Ring Ring  
  
"Okay, great. Thank you Captain Taylor. We are packing our bags and heading  
  
that way right now."  
  
"Who was that?  
  
"Captain Taylor. The midnight clerk at Amtrak recognized the picture. Our  
  
perp bought a ticket in cash under the name David Murphy. He left town two  
  
days ago."  
  
"What was the destination?"  
  
"Well the final destination is LA. But I don't think he went there. He's  
  
just probable trying to keep us off track in case we become able to  
  
identify him. The station had about five different schedules to select that  
  
would take him to LA. Mr. Murphy picked one of the slowest and the most  
  
expensive run."  
  
"So how do we find out where he got off?"  
  
"Fortunately for us most of the available selections travel through the  
  
same pit stops, only varying in their departure times. The route he took is  
  
the only one that has a stop in Cascade, Washington. I think we should head  
  
down there."  
  
"Good idea."  
  
"Speaking of goood ideas..."  
  
"MULDER!!!!!"  
  
"Never mind."  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
III part three  
  
"So you thought this was a good ideas?" Scully said with a frown on her  
  
face. Mulder was responsible for booking their travel arrangements and he  
  
decided that greyhound was the way to go.  
  
"Oh yeah! Just look out the window. Isn't the scenery great? Neither of us  
  
would have been able to lean back and enjoy the view if we had driven. And  
  
flying takes away all the joy of traveling."  
  
"Mulder, next time you go seeking for adventure, do it on your on time.  
  
We're already three days behind catching the suspect. This bus ride is only  
  
going to delay us more. Besides, the only reason the outdoors seems great  
  
to you is because you spend all your free time inside, in front of a  
  
computer. I, on the other hand, have a life. I live in the suburbs. I see  
  
natural beauty every day. This was NOT a good idea."  
  
"Come on Scully. Stop and smell..."  
  
"The roses??? Are you running a fever or something? Where have you taken  
  
Fox Mulder?"  
  
chuckle chuckle  
  
"I'm not sick. I just thought pulling some R&R on company time would be  
  
nice. Besides, I don't think our prep is going anywhere fast."  
  
"And please, pray tell, just how do you know that?  
  
"A hunch"  
  
Groan- Scully  
  
*********************  
  
Today was the day he would 'accidentally' bump into Blair. He had been  
  
observing their route for the past two days looking for an opportunity to  
  
naturally run into his estranged son. Fortunately Blair usually made their  
  
lunch run without the sentinel. Methos' heart would be beating so fast that  
  
he knew James Ellison would be able to hear it a block away. He wasn't sure  
  
how he was going to carry out his introduction, but he knew he had to make  
  
contact. He hadn't seen little Blair since that fateful day when Blair was  
  
20 months old. He knew Blair wouldn't recognize him, but in his heart he  
  
hoped his son would find some glimmer of familiarity, some small connection  
  
that would allow them to make a contact with each other. He wanted to be  
  
apart of his youngest son's life, one way or another.  
  
*************************  
  
"So he's in Cascade Washington?."  
  
"Yes sir. Our sources faxed his image over earlier this morning. The local  
  
police haven't been able to locate him yet."  
  
"And Fox Mulder?"  
  
"For some unknown reason he's diverted himself. They are taking a greyhound  
  
bus down to Cascade. Our agents haven't been able to determine why yet.'  
  
"Never mind that, Mulder's a crafty and unpredictable one. Concentrate on  
  
his capture."  
  
"We are preparing to...."  
  
"No, we can't get to close. The agency would be vulnerable to discovery. I  
  
want you to contact the Centre. Tell them we have a business opportunity  
  
for them."  
  
"Sir, their success rate hasn't been that good since they lost their ace  
  
pretender."  
  
"Well, if they want our continued protection and funding, they had better  
  
find way to deliver."  
  
"I. want. David Murphy"  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
As his advisor, the cancer man, slinked away from his employer the man in  
  
black looked out across his window. For a time he foolishly played in the  
  
game, hoping to win the prize as the last remaining immortal. Then while  
  
traveling in Australia he learned that Methos, the oldest living immortal  
  
known to exist, was real and probably still alive. Thanks to Methos'  
  
legendary status within one particular tribe he was able to obtain an image  
  
copy of the ancient one. The older members of the tribe that claimed first  
  
hand contact with the immortal retained an ancient artistic rendering of a  
  
fateful battle between him and another immortal. The man in black used  
  
this account, in conjunction with others across the globe to generate a  
  
possible facial image of Methos. He then made sure all of his closes  
  
operatives were familiar with the image copy. He had spent seven centuries  
  
of his life time searching out Methos. The man hid from the game so much it  
  
was hard to track him down the traditional headhunting way. The information  
  
age, with new global alliances and cut throat espionage gave him a new  
  
method for obtaining power. He now had his own operatives in ever major  
  
world power's government singularly fulfilling his plans. But he still  
  
didn't have power over the immortals, or the security that he would be the  
  
only one.   
  
That man's quickening will insure my success in dominating this  
  
world the man in black mused within himself. Long ago he stopped  
  
assigning himself names; he simply wore his trade mark outfit and limited  
  
his physical contact to a few trusted advisors. The cancer man was a  
  
relatively new staffer and one of the few immortals he ever allowed into  
  
his circle of power, but the risk was worth it because since his arrival,  
  
the man in black's power over the U.S.'s federal bureau had increased  
  
threefold. I will find out what Fox Mulder is up to later. Right now I  
  
need to concentrate on capturing Methos. Nothing must stand in my way.  
  
******************************  
  
Thud  
  
"Please forgive me, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was headed."  
  
"Hey man, that's all right. are you okay. I smacked into you pretty hard."  
  
"Oh yeah, I'm fine. .... Hey aren't you Blair Sandburg?"  
  
"....yes....."  
  
"When I was in grad school I read a couple of your papers. My degree is in  
  
ancient civilizations. That's not too different from the study of tribal  
  
communities. Ummm, I'm sorry to hear about you dissertation. Man, if  
  
someone published some of my private memories without permission..."  
  
"Look man, the story was a fake, okay? I wrote it as a joke since I wasn't  
  
able to find a real sentinel. And no, I don't know where one may be at  
  
today."  
  
"Whoa, I'm not looking for a sentinel. Anyone with half a brain recognized  
  
that you didn't authorize the publishing of your novel. Although it was  
  
creative. Anyway, I really respect your work. Would you mind having lunch  
  
with me? Maybe you could give me some research pointers?"  
  
"Oh...uh...sorry if I came on too strong. It's just...well.. never mind.  
  
And, um, I don't know what kind of pointers you could get from me."  
  
"A lot. My papers are usually so dry and lifeless. I know the stories, but  
  
I stink at communicating them. Every one of your papers kept my attentive  
  
to the very end. You're got quite a knack for sharing people's history.  
  
Besides, it looks like I smushed your lunch anyway. Let me buy you  
  
another?"  
  
"Well, all right. I don't have to be back at the station for another  
  
forty-five minutes."  
  
"Station?"  
  
"Yeah, ...I...I'm a police officer."  
  
"Cool, hey weren't you writing a paper on police subcultures or something?"  
  
"Sort of, how did you know that?"  
  
"Well a friend of mine in the anthropology department......."  
  
***************************  
  
"Come on Scully,... row, row, row your boat gently down the stream....."  
  
"Mulder, have you been sampling the confiscated drug products again?"  
  
"Scully, you have got to learn how to have fun and loosen up a bit."  
  
"I will as so as my partner transfer request gets answered."  
  
"Come on, tell me you haven't had simple fun like this in a long time. I  
  
know that secretly you're over there enjoying yourself."  
  
"Mulder, (sigh) a long exhaustive road trip on a greyhound bus has NEVER  
  
been 'simple fun', in any ones' book."  
  
"It has in mine. We didn't get to travel much when I was a kid. But when it  
  
was time to ride the bus to grandmom's...."  
  
"I'm glad your enjoying your trip down memory lane. Now when are you going  
  
to tell me why we are riding the bus?"  
  
pause  
  
(hushed tone) "We're being followed."  
  
"And why do you think that?"  
  
"I had the lone gunmen do some backup research for me. All of our  
  
transmissions to headquarters are being intercepted before they reach  
  
Skinner. Someone out there want to know exactly what we are doing. I though  
  
that by riding the bus, we would make it impossible for them to  
  
inconspicuously follows"  
  
"Why do you think they're spying on us?"  
  
"The gunman said that the transmission of David Murphy' police artist  
  
sketch was delayed for the longest period of time. And of course the  
  
letters sent to Skinner don't look like anyone has ever opened them; so we  
  
can't tell for sure how long they've been held or even whose taking them.  
  
All I know is that this makes my alien theory more and more plausible."  
  
"Oh Mulder......"  
  
"Yeah. But on a more pleasant note... Row, Row Row your boat...."  
  
*************************  
  
Lyle hung up the phone with a small smile of satisfaction on his lips.  
  
Despite the Blue Cove operation's continued failure to capture their  
  
estranged pretender and his young clone, the triumvirate was still willing  
  
to give this new assignment to him. Lyle had spent enough time and money  
  
trying to ingratiate himself upon the board and he was glad that it finally  
  
worked. First, he was able to get rid of his psuedo-father Mr. Parker. He  
  
really enjoyed the shocked expression on Parker's face when he realized  
  
that his 'son' was behind his expulsion. Ms. Parker, his dear sweet twin  
  
sister, was still a minor problem though. Several times he attempted to  
  
erase her, but all his attempts failed. In a way he was glad, she was the  
  
only real family he had. But Lyle didn't need family. He didn't need  
  
anything, except his freedom. And that he intended to keep by remaining a  
  
loyal player in the sinister Centre's games. Poor Jared. He could have  
  
been a player too, oh well. Any ways, the job came directly from the man  
  
in black, as Lyle's sources uncovered. The man in black was a serious  
  
weight, not just in the Centre, but all over the world. Rumor had it that  
  
he had been alive for over a hundred years. Although Lyle thought that was  
  
only the foolish musing of small scale operatives, he didn't quite doubt  
  
its possibility. The same figure has commanded the precursor agency to the  
  
Centre, over fifty years ago.  
  
Who is this David Murphy? Lyle pondered to himself. The man was somewhat  
  
ordinary looking, jet black hair, a rather slender frame for a male, and a  
  
definitely Anglo-Saxon nose. Why is he so important to The Man? Again  
  
he wondered. His orders were concise. Go to a city called Cascade in the  
  
north-west USA, capture David Murphy and immediately set up a rendezvous  
  
with the Man himself. Apparently the usually misanthropic man in black was  
  
going to leave his Canadian fortress to meet up with Mr. Murphy personally.  
  
He didn't want to risk Murphy's possible escape during an extended  
  
transport. Whatever Murphy had, the man in black was in an extreme hurry to  
  
get it. Yes, thought Lyle, if I succeed swiftly in this job, the  
  
triumvirate will never look upon me as just another one of their little  
  
experiments. I will gain their respect, and maybe... more that just that   
  
Lyle again smiled to himself. Nothing would prevent him in achieving his  
  
objectives; the whole city of Cascade would be plowed down if anyone tried  
  
to stop him.  
  
"Marcus, recall Willie and Jacob from Ms. Parker's team. And retrieve  
  
Roupere and Phil from their little project in Bosnia. I want the top  
  
sweeper team assembled and ready to fly out by tomorrow afternoon.  
  
Understood?"  
  
***************************  
  
Blair walked into the bull pen whistling. He just had the best lunch ever,  
  
since his expulsion from the university. It felt good to be able to talk to  
  
someone about intellectual issues without seeing either a look of boredom  
  
or repulsion. Jim tried, but Blair knew he could care less if the ancient  
  
ruins of Laos were hand carved from the hillside or made of play-do and  
  
ceramic. He made plans to meet up with David after work. David had gotten  
  
two free tickets to a concerto performance of Bach's Amadais des Gaules  
  
and offered one of the tickets to Blair. His original date canceled at the  
  
last minute but he still wanted to go. Blair couldn't believe his fortune.  
  
First he meets the first academic that didn't immediately assume that he  
  
was a worthless fraud and had the most stimulating conversation on ancient  
  
ruins since his early expedition days. Then, to top if all off, he gets  
  
invited to a symphony performance. Seattle's orchestra would be performing  
  
and they were renowned as one of the best in the country. Blair knew each  
  
ticket cost a minimum of two hundred dollars and each intermission was  
  
catered by Fasion's, one of Washington's premiere restaurants. Blair  
  
couldn't believe his good fortune.  
  
"So what's got you walking on cloud nine, Chief? Did Rachel finally agree  
  
to go out with you?"  
  
"Not yet, but after the luck I've had following me today, ten bucks says  
  
that she will."  
  
"Oh yeah? Well,.. your on"  
  
Yes, today was a ...good.... day. Next Saturday he and Rachel were going on  
  
a picnic lunch in at the park.  
  
***************************  
  
"Wake up Scully, we're here. The wonderful world of Cascade. Did you know  
  
this city's got one of the highest arrest rates in the country? They have  
  
their fair share of violent and disastrous crimes, but somehow their police  
  
department manages to resolve them swiftly."  
  
"Really, then why would a possible ax murder come here to hid out?"  
  
"Sword Scully, the killer used a sword. Anyway, like I said I have a hunch  
  
that he's not planning to leave here any time soon. He must be looking for  
  
someone or something. Whatever the reason, its important enough to risk  
  
capture by the police force. I need to go make a few phone calls. See if  
  
you can commandeer a cabbie. I'm sure no one would resist you when they see  
  
you waving in that outfit."  
  
"Mulder,... need I remind you that I carry a gun and do have a license to  
  
kill without provocation?"  
  
***************************  
  
Methos was going over to Blair's apartment this evening. The sentinel  
  
finally got a date with some waitress named Linda so Blair invited him  
  
over. He was very glad because he wasn't sure he could hide his identity  
  
from the sentinel. He knew of one guardian in the past who said that he  
  
could see his quickening energy rising from his skin. Methos never  
  
questioned the man. He didn't think he was the one who caused him to become  
  
a guardian but the old guardian's daughter looked very familiar to a  
  
pregnant woman that he had meet long before the guardian's birth date.  
  
Methos marveled at how enthralled Blair was when he told him stories of  
  
ancient times. His attention was very flattering; Methos attempted to  
  
compliment Blair equally in return. Methos was very proud of his son, and  
  
the sentinel. The city of Cascade was one of the most violent yet well  
  
protected one in the whole north east. As Methos readied himself to knock  
  
on the door his mind drifted off to remember the date he first meet Blair's  
  
mom, Naomi.  
  
********************  
  
It was 1970. Eleven years had past since Methos had been in Cascade.  
  
Unfortunately he hadn't been able to return sooner to produce a companion  
  
for the Ellison child. Methos was glad to have read several other newspaper  
  
articles on the child. Apparently he was a bit of a local star and was  
  
succeeding in numerous junior league sports. It didn't seem like, from the  
  
reports he collected, the boy had discovered his unique abilities. Methos  
  
knew of sentinels who managed to bury their gifts deep into their minds  
  
until they finally found their companion. Methos was glad little Jimmy  
  
Ellison seemed to be like them, and not like those other sentinels who  
  
lived years of life in pain and confusion without a guardian to comfort  
  
them.  
  
It was the first sunny day after a three week period of rain and drizzle.  
  
He took the opportunity to enjoy the warm day at Cascade's park. He found  
  
an empty out of the way spot underneath a tree where he could gaze at the  
  
lake. Without trying he had placed himself in the perfect spot to meet up  
  
with his next wife.  
  
"Hey you, are you mediating ? Can I watch?"  
  
Methos looked up to a very young looking strawberry blonde woman. She was  
  
very appealing to his eyes. Her forwardness was a bit striking to Methos  
  
but this was the end of the 60's revolution.  
  
"Sure, would you like to learn?"  
  
"Of course, I'm always looking for new ways to center myself and keep my  
  
mind in harmony with the earth. What's your name? I haven't seen you here  
  
in the park before."  
  
"David.... David Blair."  
  
**************************  
  
Methos' unplanned trip down memory lane put a smile in his eyes that  
  
remained when Blair opened the door to the loft. Methos was impressed by  
  
the place's decor and said so the Blair.  
  
"Oh, its nothing. Just a combination of my collection of artifacts and  
  
Jim's fashion sense. You wouldn't think by looking at him that he had any  
  
sense of style." Blair said as he lead Methos to the kitchen. "But,.." as  
  
he held up Jim's floral apron, "he doesn't always show it."  
  
smile.  
  
"So how long have you two been working together? It hasn't been that long  
  
since you left the university."  
  
"Well, like your friend Taylor told you, I was gathering data for my thesis  
  
on the police sub-culture when I started working with Jim. We turned out to  
  
make a good team when it comes down to catching criminals. In fact, our  
  
arrest record is the best one in the state."  
  
"Really? That's impressive."  
  
Blair didn't know what made him bring up his arrest record to David. But  
  
there was something about him that made Blair want him to think highly of  
  
him. Almost like when he first met Jim's dad. Of course, that meeting  
  
didn't go very well, at all. But for some reason David stirred up the same  
  
feeling in him.  
  
"We've got some pretty cool music selections in the living room. You want  
  
to go pick out something?"  
  
"Sure, is your cd cabinet near the television?"  
  
"Yeah, right next to it on the right. I've got some last minute things to  
  
prepare before dinner."  
  
Methos walked into the living room and then over toward the entertainment  
  
center. Next ot the tv, on the other side, was a shelf filled with photo  
  
albums and pictures. Methos looked over his shoulder to make sure he  
  
wouldn't be caught. The first album was probably designated for vacation  
  
trip pictures because it contained lots of photographs of Jim and Blair  
  
goofing off. Most of the scenes were in outdoor, wood-ies locations. Methos  
  
smiled. The boy probably inherited his mother's love for the outdoors. I  
  
personally was very glad when man started building big cities The next  
  
album held pictures from Jim's childhood. Methos found several of the same  
  
newspaper articles on little Jimmy that he had collected upon returning to  
  
Cascade almost thirty years ago. His copies had gotten lost in time so he  
  
was glad someone had maintained copies. The next photo album was a plain  
  
brown book covered with glued on dried leaves. Methos had to sit down after  
  
he opened the first page. These were Blair's childhood momentos. As he  
  
looked at the pictures of his baby boy growing up tears began to swell up  
  
in his eyes. The pictures were all of Blair when he was about two years old  
  
and older. Methos realized that Naomi probably never had showed the boy  
  
their family pictures together. He almost wished that she had. Then, even  
  
though it would mean explaining his immortality, Methos could re-establish  
  
his place in Blair's life quickly instead of the round about way he was  
  
taking now. Methos decided to put the album back on the shelf. His eyes  
  
were foggy and it was getting harder to hold back the tears of sadness.   
  
It wouldn't do for Blair to find me crying over his childhood album. How  
  
would I explain that? Another time, maybe, I'll get to look through the  
  
pictures. Methos walked over to the cd case. He smiled when he found a  
  
copy of Edward Griegg's In the hall of the mountain king on the shelf. It  
  
was on indubitably his favorite classical piece. Methos preferred music  
  
that made his heart beat and his feet tap than the usually slow, maudlin  
  
musical scores that had been written throughout time.  
  
"Great man, that is my favorite classical piece. Jim likes more of the  
  
subtle, put you to sleep stuff. But I picked out all the faster paced  
  
stuff. I've got a superb collection of tribal chants in my bed room. I'll  
  
go get them for you."  
  
Methos smiled inwardly again. Yep, that's MY boy.   
  
*************************  
  
Slam!!!!!  
  
"Just when were you going to tell me that you reassigned two of my best  
  
sweepers? How dare you step in and challenge my team management without  
  
confirming with me first. I had a lead on Jared in Southern California  
  
yesterday morning. But could I catch him? No, two of my sweepers weren't  
  
present. Gone. and what was the explanation? They were recalled by Mr.  
  
Lyle. What is going on, and I. want. to . know. now !"  
  
Lyle lifted his eyes up slowly from his desk. He had been expecting this  
  
little outburst from dear sissy the minute he was informed of her return to  
  
Centre grounds. How dare she presume to talk to him like that! But, sissy  
  
still thinks she has power and clout here. She doesn't realize that she's  
  
been completely phased out with the disappearance of 'daddy'. Oh well,  
  
let's just try to keep the peace for expedience sake. "Calm down, Ms.  
  
Parker. I had to recall Willie and Jacob. We got a new contract that has to  
  
be handled right. I only 'borrowed' them temporary. Please forgive me, but  
  
it was an emergency." Lyle batted his eyes and tried to give Ms. Parker his  
  
best 'I really am sorry for killing your cat' look.  
  
"Save it" snarled Ms. Parker. "And why haven't I hear anything about this  
  
project?"  
  
"Nothing should interfere with your attempts to catch Jared. Like you said,  
  
you almost had him yesterday. You just keep handling our number one  
  
priority and I'll handle the rest. Okay?"  
  
"Hurmf.." grunted Parker as she turned on her heels to leave. "I will find  
  
out what you are up to Lyle. Believe it."  
  
And... so what? Lyle shook his head. Now what would be a nice saying   
  
on Ms.Parker's tomb? Beloved sister and friend?  
  
*************************  
  
"So captain you can understand why we want to keep this on under raps. We  
  
know that this prep, David Murphy couldn't be responsible for all of the  
  
other similar deaths. But its the same M.O. If he was involved in the John  
  
Doe slaying in Seacour, he might know what's going with the rest of the  
  
deaths."  
  
"No problem Agent. I'll have this photo graph discreetly passed along to  
  
all the other department heads. They will personally explain the situation  
  
to the right people on their teams."  
  
"Good, we don't want to lose this one again."  
  
"Mulder, are you going to tell me why you are so jumpy? You haven't been  
  
able to sit still all day. even through our meetings with the local police  
  
chief, you acted like you were late for a very important meeting. What's  
  
going on behind the pictures?"  
  
"The lone gunman notified me this morning that an unmarked aircraft landed  
  
in a private Cascade airstrip Monday morning. They're..uhm...they're able to  
  
monitor air traffic lines for the private air fleets. Apparently the  
  
passengers were hired guns from a shadow group in Blue Cove that they have  
  
been tracking. Its called the Centre and word has it that they are some  
  
pretty nasty people. Remember when I said that we were being followed?  
  
Well, our company's made it here already and have established themselves."  
  
"Do we report this to the locals?"  
  
"No, for all we know there may be plants in there already. No, trust no one  
  
and stick close to me. Okay?"  
  
"Okay. I hope you know what you're doing"  
  
"Don't I always?"  
  
"Hurmf"  
  
*********************  
  
Methos opened his hotel room door and quietly stepped into the room. His  
  
diner with Blair had been wonderful and he was now so tired that he wanted  
  
to go to sleep immediately. He creep into the room so that he would not  
  
wake up sleep. Back in his days in the outback the Aborigines taught him  
  
that if you came into the hut from a hard day's labor too loudly, that you  
  
would wake up sleep and spend the rest of the night restless. Unconsciously  
  
Methos kept their sayings. Yes, everything seemed to be going well as  
  
planned. He would slowly create a solid friendship with his son. He hadn't  
  
decided yet if he was going to reveal himself to him. At any rate, tonight  
  
he was tired. Blair's cooking was the best he had ever tasted since Onca.  
  
He wondered if that was what triggered his memory of those times. Back then  
  
his lonely soul had found comfort. Now he wasn't as lonely but he was still  
  
seeking comfort. Comfort from the memories of how he lost his youngest son  
  
and his beloved Naomi....  
  
********************  
  
"Naomi, in you condition you should be taking it easy !!!!!" David fumed.  
  
"Sit down and I'll clean up the living room."  
  
"I am perfectly capably of taking care of my own messes. David Blair, you  
  
are becoming more and more a fascist dictator as I grow closer to delivery  
  
time. I AM A FREE SPIRIT and I will do what I Want To do!!!"  
  
With that his very pregnant wife stormed out of their apartment's living  
  
room.  
  
That I know quite well. mused Methos sadly. Gone was the vibrant, fun  
  
loving playmate he met over a year and a half ago. Methos had fallen for  
  
Naomi at first sight. No other woman every had that much control over him,  
  
without casting a spell, i.e. drugging him, first. But he willingly loved  
  
her. Her energy and passion for life mesmerized the old man. After so many  
  
centuries of travel, he was beyond jaded. Naomi rekindled his enthusiasm,  
  
his zest for life unlike anyone else. He loved her so much. Twelve times he  
  
begged her to marry him. He even bought her a diamond ring that was the  
  
size of a small pearl for an engagement ring. Naomi, of course, promptly  
  
sold it and gave the money to the homeless and street musicians in town.  
  
Methos was furious but one look into her eyes melted away all of his anger.  
  
The day she announced that she was ready to commit to a 'long-term  
  
partnership' with him had been his happiest in centuries. He didn't even  
  
complain when she insisted on keeping her maiden name and on having a guru  
  
mystic perform the ceremony. He loved her. Unlike any of his other wives.  
  
The only other time he had been this happy was his brief time in  
  
Queensland. But now he was going to have what he could only get through a  
  
surrogate that first time. A son, his own son. And Methos was going to  
  
personally raise him. Of course, Methos hadn't forgot the reason it was  
  
crucial for him to bear a child, the guardian needed a companion. But he  
  
didn't care. The child would be the fruit of his love for Naomi.  
  
Unfortunately, Naomi didn't take motherhood well. She was so young, only in  
  
her early twenties. In the course of an hour her emotions would do  
  
cartwheels olympians could only dream of accomplishing. Her antics  
  
frightened Methos a little. He wasn't sure if it was a sign that something  
  
was wrong with the pregnancy. The other wives that he had who produced  
  
guide companions never acted as berserk as Naomi did. Only two more weeks  
  
to go .  
  
Three days later Naomi was gone. Gone. Without a trace. Methos searched the  
  
streets desperately for his wife. The tears were so heavy in his eyes that  
  
he had to keep a box on tissue in this car as he searched. No one had seen  
  
or heard form her. Methos couldn't believe what was happening. Finally he  
  
had found happiness and contentment and it was all taken away in a matter  
  
of a few hour. Methos, although extremely wealth, had taken a teaching job  
  
at Rainier University. When he returned home from class that day he took a deep   
  
breathe before opening the door in preparation of Hurricane Naomi. He immediately   
  
knew something was wrong when he walked inside. The house was quite.  
  
Deathly quiet. Methos dropped his briefcase in front of the open door and  
  
ran down the hall to the bedroom. Not there. Then he checked the bathroom.  
  
Not there. There wasn't a note, no sign of where she had gone. Methos  
  
opened the closet door and then fell down to his knees. The suitcase was  
  
gone and so were some of Naomi's clothes. The three thousand dollars in  
  
emergency money was also gone.  
  
How could she? Methos' face was hot with anger. Then his face quickly paled   
  
with fear. What if she's not in her right mind? She could be hurt. And the baby.   
  
Methos' head began to swim.  
  
Methos called the department dean and told him what had happened. The dean  
  
tried to reassure him. "Your wife is one of the most head strong females  
  
I've ever meet. She probably just wanted to go some where and mediate on  
  
what her life as a mother might mean. She'll be back. I know she loves you  
  
as much as you love her."  
  
Ten days later Methos return to the apartment broken and worn out. He had  
  
traveled to some of the nearby cities and towns just in case Naomi had left  
  
Cascade. As he opened the door, much like the fateful day when she left,  
  
Methos was immediately struck by a change. Lights were on, food was cooking  
  
in the kitchen and ... and Methos could hear the sound of a baby wailing  
  
form the bedroom. Methos ran to their bedroom and yanked open the door.  
  
Naomi was sitting on the bed breast feeding their son. His son. "I know  
  
you're mad... but.. the vibes... there were just so many negative vibes here.  
  
I couldn't let our child be born in such an oppressive climate. We had to  
  
leave." Methos couldn't speak. He collapsed on his knees in front of  
  
Naomi. "His name is Blair, Blair Sandburg. I didn't give the doctor your  
  
name because I was kind of out of it. They force all kinds of horrible  
  
drugs down my throat and into my veins. My poor baby could have been hurt  
  
from all those pollutants. Any ways, he may not have your last name, but he  
  
is definitely part of you." Methos still couldn't speak. The tears that had  
  
take regular residence in his eyes now pour like a waterfall. This time,  
  
however, they were tears of pure joy and rhapsody. "David... I... I  
  
honestly don't know what has come over me. I just keep feeling like you..  
  
like someone would take my child away... like some would supplant my role  
  
in his life and I...I couldn't let that happen. You understand, don't you?"  
  
Methos lower lips dropped open as if he was now able to speak. No sound  
  
passed through his lips. He loved Naomi, true enough and was overjoyed that  
  
she had decided to return. But now, as he looked at his nursing child there  
  
was a rock solid place in his heart filled with only one person, Blair  
  
Sandburg.  
  
***************************  
  
The pillow cover on Methos' bed was cold and wet from the residual tears  
  
shed by the old man as he remembered the first day he meet his son. A  
  
second chance, that's all that I hope for. A second chance.   
  
***************************  
  
Lyle exited the Centre's plane in Cascade. The sweepers had already moved  
  
into place, even planting several moles in the local police department.  
  
Lyle came down to physically oversee the process and to set up a holding  
  
site for the prisoners once captured. His interest was especially peaked  
  
when he learned of an additional specimen also residing in Cascade. He  
  
planned on keeping 'the gravy' portion of the Centre's seizure mission a  
  
secret until he determined exactly how to exploit it. It won't be long  
  
now. he said to himself with a confident smirk.  
  
***************************************************************  
  
IV part four  
  
Methos was happy.... truly happy. Elated even. The past three weeks he had  
  
grown closer to his son that he had ever expected. Blair accepted his  
  
friendship completely and he never questioned Methos' intentions or  
  
behavior. There were a few times this past week that he thought Blair might  
  
be ready for him to tell him the truth.. but not yet. This evening Jim had  
  
gone on a date with someone named Lisa, who worked in the robbery  
  
department. Blair was oddly bubbly about Jim's date; he said he was worried  
  
that a past relationship of Jim's had quleched the casanova in his partner.  
  
Since Jim would be gone, Methos accepted a dinner invitation to dine with  
  
Blair at the loft. Methos loved visiting his son's home. He was delighted  
  
that Blair had found a happy, full life. Like the typical daddy he wanted  
  
the best for his child: security, joy and contentment. Blair had found all  
  
of that being the sentinel's companion. Methos wondered how telling Blair  
  
the truth about his parentage would affect that relationship. Sure Blair  
  
and Jim were bonded like the typical sentinel-guide blood brothers, but  
  
there was more to their relationship than that. Even though Jim was only  
  
eleven years older that Blair, he had take over the father figure role in  
  
Blair's life. Methos would had been slightly envious of Jim's paternal  
  
position in directing and guiding Blair, but he recognized the good in the  
  
situation. Methos wished that he had been there to raise his son the way he  
  
had intended, the way he had hope......  
  
"I'm sorry Blair, what did you say? I guess I was off on a another field  
  
assignment or something."  
  
chuckle "Man, I don't know how you can get around being as absent-minded  
  
as you are. I just asked if you wanted any more pla lard prig?"  
  
"Thanks man, but I'm borderline explosion. I shouldn't have eaten so much.  
  
Where did you learn to cook authentic Thai food?"  
  
"Oh well, my mom and I moved around so much and she made friends so easily,  
  
there aren't too many exotic foods that I don't no how to prepare. What did  
  
you think of the tom yum koon soup?"  
  
"Oh, now that was slamming! And you didn't use too much kaffir lime leaf.  
  
The last time I had tom yum koon, all I could taste was the lime..... So  
  
now I know why Jim has kept you around so long, no one else can cook that  
  
good!"  
  
Blair laughed, "Jim's not really into spicy favors, but he tries everything I whip  
  
up in the kitchen. And, although he would never admit it, I think he really  
  
like my dishes."  
  
"Of course he would; by the way, I sure hope you have some spare  
  
tupperware because not all that pad thai is going to make it into your  
  
refrigerator."  
  
*************************  
  
Well, this looks good, if I do say so myself Lyle though as he made a  
  
last inspection of the holding cell he planned to keep Jim Elision in while  
  
he was away delivering David Murphy. Now all we need an enhanced  
  
individual and his trusty sidekick to come and visit our new little inn. He  
  
picked up his cell phone.   
  
"Marcus, what's the eta on the Sandburg snatch? Good. Have the final plans   
  
on my desk tomorrow for my review." Lyle smiled to himself again as he exited   
  
the dark room. His reconnison teams had reported seeing Blair Sandburg with   
  
their official target at multiple social engagements. Lyle determined that Sandburg   
  
would be his key to snatching both men. Who would have though Ellison's   
  
achilles heel would be the preverbal stone to catch two birds . I wonder what kind   
  
of attractant he has to pull down a veteran ops man like Jim. Hmmm, maybe its  
  
something we would replicate.... Lyle took his cell phone out of his jacket  
  
pocket again. "Dr. Kim, glad your still up. Look get on the next plane to a  
  
city called Cascade in Washington. Bring your extraction kit. I've got a  
  
couple of test subjects coming in that you might enjoy. Call me as soon as  
  
you've secured flight plans."  
  
Blue Cove  
  
"Yes sir, I'll be right there sir. Cascade, Washington. On the next flight  
  
out. " Dr. Kim closed his cell phone. He looked down at his 'patient' lying  
  
on the exam table. "Well Angelo, looks like we're going to have to finish  
  
these test later. Go ahead, get up and return to your room." Angelo looked  
  
up at the doctor with his customary blank stare. "Doctor go?" "Only for a  
  
few days, my friend. Our man Lyle has a little assignment for me to  
  
complete. I will be back." "Doctor go, Doctor come back." "That's right  
  
Angelo, now lets get you back to your room." Angelo was more that ready to  
  
go back to his cell. There was a certain free agent out there who need to  
  
know about the Centre's new plans.  
  
*************************  
  
"Now Jim, that wasn't so bad now was it?"  
  
"What? I thought the movie you picked would be good from the start"  
  
"Not the movie, silly, our date."  
  
"Lisa, a movie and dinner with you has never been anything but a nice  
  
fantasy for me. Of course it wasn't bad, this has been great!"  
  
"Okay then why haven't you asked me before?"  
  
"Well,... I ...uhm... sort of"  
  
"My, my when big strong men like you get tongue tide I know the sky's about  
  
to fall."  
  
laughter  
  
"Anyway, now that I've made you blush, I'll change the subject to  
  
something easier for you to handle. How is you department coming on the  
  
Murphy case?"  
  
"What Murphy case?"  
  
"You know, the one that's brought those two tight lipped Feds down to  
  
Cascade. What's your office's take on the prep? Right now the office pool  
  
favors the idea that Murphy's the prime subject in an international drug  
  
scheme. But when I saw his picture I knew he just has to be a run away  
  
witness. You know, the kind that come forward and then chicken out. He's  
  
got this 'flight' look about him."  
  
"Really Lisa, what is this Murphy case your talking about? I've never heard  
  
of it."  
  
"Huh... well maybe that's why its been over four weeks since the Feds have  
  
had all the other departments searching for this guy and yet we still don't  
  
have a clue where he's hiding in Cascade. If major crimes had been  
  
involved, the prep would have been caught the first week he landed here. I  
  
wonder why the Feds didn't include you guys?"  
  
"Who is this Murphy and what's the situation?"  
  
"Well the Feds won't tell us why this Murphy guy is wanted. They're an odd  
  
couple from the northwest, and man and a woman. I think the woman is a bit  
  
ticked at the way the guy is handling the case. Anyway, our captain doesn't  
  
even know what this David Murphy had done."  
  
Jim have been continuing to eat his salad as he listened to Lisa describe  
  
the case. Bad move, because as soon as she said the name 'David Murphy' the  
  
lettuce leaf Jim was chewing went straight down his windpipe.  
  
choke, cough, gag, cough, cough  
  
"Jim are you ok? Jim"  
  
"I'm.... all right.... I .. just ... what did .........did you say the  
  
prep's name was again?"  
  
"Here Jim, sit down and drink some water. slowly. Are you sure your okay?"  
  
Jim nodded his head vigorously as he drank down the water and nodded his  
  
head to Lisa, urging her to continue.  
  
"Uh-un, not until you start breathing right..... okay, that's better.  
  
Murphy, David Murphy."  
  
"I'm sorry Lisa," Jim grabbed his coat so quickly he almost bumped into the  
  
waiter caring dinner to another table.  
  
"I'm sooo sorry, so very sorry. But I think, no, I know I need to be  
  
leaving now. Ummm, I need to check on something at home. I'm really sorry  
  
Lisa. I'll take care of dinner at the door. Stay as long as you like,  
  
okay?"  
  
"Um, sure, sure. Go ahead a take care of whatever you need to. You'll give  
  
me a call later?"  
  
"Yeah, right, okay...... Bye" Jim was already facing the hostess with his  
  
credit card in hand when he last responded to Lisa. There was only on  
  
thought on his mind as he raced to his truck. What has Sandburg gotten  
  
himself into now?  
  
Great, I finally get asked out by the dreamiest bachelor on the force and  
  
I scare him away with shop talk. Way to go Lisa. And what's worst, I drove  
  
him back home to that little Sandburg guy. Sigh. Maybe he will call me back?....  
  
yeah right.  
  
**********************************************  
  
"Blair, Blair, Are you home, are you okay?" he yell after racung into the loft.   
  
Jim's heart was beating so hard he could barely hear the regular ticking of his   
  
guide's. Ever since the fountain incident with Alex, Jim had been terrified that   
  
something horrible would happen to him. Why did I let Blair convince me that   
  
a date was a good idea. If I had been here he would be safe.  
  
"Hey... Jim? What's wrong man? I'm in the bathroom. How did your date with  
  
Lisa go?"  
  
"Chief!... Am I glad to see you. Is everything okay here?"  
  
"Yeah, why wouldn't it? Ah, you didn't have another nightmarish premonition  
  
did you?"  
  
"No, .. but where is that David Murphy guy?"  
  
"Oh, David.. He left about twenty minutes ago. Why, what's up?"  
  
After performing a visual inspection of Blair's vital signs and the state  
  
of the loft Jim walked over to the end table to pick up his cell phone.  
  
Blair had convinced him to leave it at home so that his mind would be  
  
focused on his date with Lisa. Now Jim was auto dialing Simon's, their  
  
captain, home number.  
  
"Nothing deep except that your new friend is wanted by the federal  
  
government. According to Lisa all other departments have been on a four  
  
week man hunt for him. By the way, do you know where he is staying? We need  
  
to pick... 'Hello, Simon......Yes sir I know its late.....Yes sir I know  
  
you didn't give me your home number to use it at eleven o'clock a  
  
night..... Yes sir, this is an emergency...... Yes sir this is a very  
  
gooood emergency....... Okay, I understand..... Have you been briefed on a  
  
federal man hunt for a David Murphy?"  
  
Blair had stopped listening to Jim after he reached Simon. His heart was  
  
sinking fast within him. David, a wanted criminal? No, no it couldn't be.  
  
There didn't seem to be a violent bone in the man's entire body. How could  
  
this be happening? No, Jim has to be wrong. Blair didn't know how but he  
  
trusted David, he trusted David as much as he trusted Jim. He has to  
  
uncover the truth about these charges.  
  
"What did Simon say?"  
  
"He hasn't heard any thing about a Murphy case. He does know about two  
  
federal agents working with several of the other departments but for some  
  
reason they haven't contacted major crimes."  
  
"Great, that means that David isn't accused of a major felony. Did Lisa  
  
tell you why the feds want him?"  
  
"No, apparently they are keeping a very tight lip on the whole issue. But  
  
just because major crimes isn't involved doesn't meant your friend's not a  
  
serious offender. We're not the only department in the police force you  
  
know."  
  
"If you knew David like I do, you wouldn't be questioning his integrity."  
  
"Yeah,..hmm...and just why don't I know Murphy well? Don't you think its  
  
pretty convenient that he is always too busy to meet me? And what about  
  
tonight? You have invited him over for dinner at least ten times, if I  
  
remember right. Yet he only decides to come after finding out that I won't  
  
be there. Don't you think that's odd?"  
  
"Okay, maybe a little. But maybe he finds you intimidating. He told me  
  
that you gave him the third degree when he called last week. Why did you  
  
question him so thoroughly anyway?"  
  
Jim turned his head away slightly at Blair's question. "Blair, I know that  
  
your an official cop now and that you can take care of yourself, but...  
  
I... I was worried. you know, your track record with people hasn't been  
  
that great. You trust people way to easily. I just wanted to find out for  
  
myself who this Murphy guy is"  
  
"Thanks man, but I am well past high school. I may not be the best judge of  
  
character, okay, I may be a terrible judge of character, but I chose you as  
  
my best friend. Now that should shine some redeeming light. I can't explain  
  
it but I know David is not guilt. I just know it."  
  
"Chief, I think maybe your heart has clouded your eyes again. Where does  
  
David live?"  
  
Blair shook his head after hearing Jim's words and sat down with a slump.  
  
"I'm not sure. I know that he is subletting a Rainier student's apartment  
  
this summer, but I've never gone over there. He says the apartment kitchen  
  
is real small so we have always met somewhere else for dinner."  
  
"Interesting." Blair sighed. "Well, do you at least have his telephone  
  
number?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Good, we can place a trace on him that way. Simon is contacting the feds.  
  
We need to be at the station tomorrow morning around 7:30 for a meeting. I  
  
guess you can hold off contacting Murphy until then. Chief, I don't think I  
  
need to remind you not to warn Murphy... or do I?"  
  
"NO..... no you don't." Blair quickly retreated to his bedroom and slammed  
  
the door. A few minutes he heard a quiet tapping on the door. "I don't want  
  
to talk about it anymore okay? Please, just go to bed Jim."  
  
Jim slowly walked up the stairs to his bedroom. As he laid down on his bed  
  
he heard Blair's soft response, "He's not guilt Jim. I know he's not."   
  
Ihope your right, Chief. For your sake I hope your right.  
  
***************************************************  
  
The next morning 8:30  
  
"Yes sir, they have decided to have Blair Sandburg contact Murphy in about  
  
twenty minutes. They are suppose to meet up at the park and Sandburg is  
  
going to bring him in. The department chief will have about ten officers  
  
standing by to snag Murphy. How would you like us to proceed?"  
  
Perfect Lyle thought to himself. He had been wondering how he was going  
  
to tie Murphy and Ellison together and now the solution to that little  
  
problem was just handled to him, gift wrapped.  
  
"Listen closely. Have the van standing by and ready. As soon as you get a  
  
clear shot at Sandburg after they try to bring in Murphy I want him taken  
  
immediately. Understood?"  
  
"Yes sir. Clean and sweet."  
  
"Good" good Lyle thought to himself. He pressed the talk button again.  
  
"Dr. Kim, eta on our donors four hours. Make sure your extraction lab is  
  
set up."  
  
***************************************************  
  
"Jim, I hope you know how much I hate this. In fact, this make me deeply  
  
sick to my stomach."  
  
"Chief, there's nothing to argue about. You heard the feds. This guy is  
  
either a witness or a murderer. The victim was beheaded! Of all the  
  
grotesque ways to kill someone that takes the cake. Don't you want to know  
  
which side of the table he's actual on? The guy fled the scene of a crime  
  
and tried to cover up his tracks with fake bus tickets. You may not want to  
  
believe it, but that sounds pretty incriminating to me."  
  
"He was scared, wouldn't you be? The feds conceded that the witnesses said  
  
David was trying to get away from the 'victim'. I think he saw a gruesome  
  
slaying and tried to run away from the real assailants. Why can't you give  
  
him the benefit of the doubt?"  
  
"Chief... Blair...humph... there's no sense arguing about this now. We will  
  
find out the truth as some as you bring Murphy in."  
  
"I really hate this, especially lying to him."  
  
"Chief.." Jim said with a strong warning tone, "you aren't going to warn  
  
him are you? We agreed that you would bring him in. I don't have to tell  
  
you what will happen if you try to change the plans."  
  
"I know, I did swear to obey and protect the laws of the land. I will do my  
  
duty as officer."  
  
"Alright."  
  
Mulder and Scully sat in the observation conference room after their  
  
meeting with Chief Simon Banks. Mulder was unusually quiet about the whole  
  
situation and Scully needed to know why.  
  
"Okay Mulder, spill it? This whole investigation was your idea and now that  
  
we have found the guy, your acting like the sky has just fallen. You did  
  
want to catch David Murphy didn't you?"  
  
"Of course Scully! I just didn't want to involve the major crimes  
  
department. And of all the people to have access to Murphy it had to be the  
  
Sandburg-Ellision team. I had hoped not to involve them in these affairs at  
  
all. I should have imaged that this could happen from the start."  
  
"Why didn't you want them involved? From the looks of thinks if we had  
  
involved them in our search from the beginning, we could have detained  
  
Murphy weeks ago. Mulder, I demand some answers now!"  
  
Sigh "Okay, do you remember that I told you we weren't the only ones  
  
seeking after Murphy?"  
  
"Yes, but what does that have to do with these two detectives?"  
  
"A couple of months age Blair Sandburg wrote a paper that was widely  
  
publicized. Although he denied its truth, its obvious from his role in the  
  
Cascade police department that his paper wasn't false. I'm afraid that the  
  
people after Murphy won't stop with him. They will go after the  
  
Sandburg-Ellison team. And then we'll have three missing persons."  
  
"Mulder how can you be so sure about this?"  
  
"Scully, trust me. You know my track record. I am right about the danger  
  
involved."  
  
"So what are we to do?"  
  
"Nothing, we'll just ride it out and see what happens."  
  
*********************************************************  
  
Methos ran up to Blair sitting alone on the park bench. Blair had called  
  
him earlier this morning and asked him to meet him in the park. Methos  
  
recognized the concealed fear in Blair's voice. He wondered what had upset  
  
his son so much. He placed his hand on Blair's shoulder when he reached  
  
him.  
  
"Blair, what's wrong?"  
  
Blair was working hard to hold back his emotions. At the sound of David's  
  
voice he wanted to to scream out that it was a trap and to help David get  
  
way. At least half of him did anyway. The other half was seething with  
  
anger, wondering if this man was a murder, if he again had been duped by an  
  
untrustworthy person.  
  
"Um, David, we need to talk."  
  
"I can see that. What happened? Was it Jim? what's..."  
  
"No, it has nothing to do with me. David... what did you do? You're wanted  
  
by the feds."  
  
Methos' stomach began to knot up inside him. oh no. how did they track me  
  
down here? I thought they would be combing the streets of Tjuana by now.  
  
Your getting old, old man. Oh man, what have they told Blair? "Blair,  
  
I.... have you told anybody that you know how to reach me?"  
  
"Yes, and the park is crawling with cops. I wanted to be the one who actual  
  
brings you in. What happened that night David, did you kill that man?"  
  
Jim could hear Blair's heart racing from his position in the bushes. He  
  
shifted his hearing to detect Murphy's. Oh man he said to himself as  
  
Murphy shook him head no in response to Blair's question. He's lying.  
  
"Uhmm, Blair, that nigh,... it was crazy. I was..uhm... expecting to meet  
  
up with an old colleague. He told me on the telephone that he was in some  
  
major trouble and that I was the only one in the area he could trust.  
  
I..uhm.. I barely got away when the other guys showed up. Blair, I just  
  
ran. I don't know what...uhm...uhm... Bob was into but I sure didn't want  
  
to be caught up in it with him. I really don't have much information on  
  
why...Bob.. was being hunted..."  
  
"Oh man, that's great! I mean.. that's terrible. I'm, I'm just glad that  
  
your safe man." Blair's emotions flipped from depression and malice to  
  
euphoria as he listened to David's story. He didn't even question the  
  
obvious holes in it, he was so relieved to have his faith in Murphy  
  
restored.  
  
I'm going to to kill him though Jim to himself. First I let the feds  
  
grill him, then I'm going to smash his face in; maybe even enlarge that  
  
nose of his. How could he lie to Blair like that? He's just standing there  
  
weaving a sticky web of fiction and Blair's been snared like an  
  
unsuspecting bug. Jim's left jaw muscle began to twitch rapidly. They'd  
  
better start walking over here now or I'm going to go drag his deceiving  
  
butt over to lock up myself.  
  
Simon could see the fury as it began to form itself on Jim's face. Now  
  
what's got his shorts in a knot? "Jim, what is wrong with you? What do you  
  
hear over there?"  
  
Simon's question was the distraction Lyle needed to give his people the  
  
order. Three of the Cascade PD officers closest to Blair and David had  
  
already been quietly replaced by sweepers. He had also selected a park  
  
bystander to be hit by a sniper in order to add confusion and prevent the  
  
police from interrupting the snatch. He was observing Jim from a van  
  
several yards away through a pair of high powered telescopic binoculars.  
  
When Jim's posture changed he knew the detective was listen to something  
  
and would be the perfect time to implement his plan. "Now!" he ordered  
  
through the mic. The van he was traveling immediately drove away from the  
  
premises to ensure that he wouldn't be anywhere near the crime scene in  
  
case things didn't go down properly. He didn't have anything to worry  
  
about...  
  
POP! The shot came out of nowhere and fell a young mother pushing her child  
  
on a nearby swing set. Both Jim and Simon immediately stopped talking and  
  
turned toward the sound of the shot.  
  
"What, what was that?" Blair asked Methos.  
  
"I'm not sure.. but it sounded like a gun shot."  
  
"Promise me that you will stay right here until I come back, okay."  
  
"Blair!"  
  
"Promise me, OKAY?" Methos was torn. Every survivor instinct in him was  
  
screaming out, RUN!. It would be a prefect escape. He could be on a plane to  
  
Florida in less that seven hours. He had already mapped out a quick escape  
  
plan. But no, here his son was asking him to stay put. If he left now, the  
  
damage done to their relationship might never be repaired. What are you  
  
thinking man? he asked himself. Don't be an idiot, RUN. MacLeod got over  
  
your past mistakes and so will Blair. Now go and explain it to him later.  
  
But Methos couldn't move. It was rare for him to met any of his mortal  
  
children, let alone to be given a chance to have a relationship with them.  
  
No, he couldn't leave. All he would have to do is explain to Blair all  
  
about immortality and all would be well. If he fled, it would take a long  
  
time just to get Blair to speak to him again, if at all. Yep, I have  
  
definitely gotten soft in my old age  
  
"SWEAR to me man!"  
  
"Okay already, I won't go anywhere until you get back."  
  
"Great! I trust you man."  
  
Sigh. While sitting down on a park bench, Methos look up to see two  
  
solemned faced men dressed in police uniforms walking towards him. Okay,  
  
now they don't look too friendly. Before Methos could arise to begin his  
  
retreat from the approaching men, two other Cascade Police officers also  
  
closed in on him from the left side. "Put down any weapons you may have and  
  
hold your hands up where I can see them" said one of the real cops. The two  
  
replacements gradually slipped away from Methos upon the arrival of the  
  
other cops. Meanwhile, Simon and Jim had made over to the injured woman.  
  
"This looks like a clean hit from the bullet's entry point, Simon. Whoever  
  
fired at her wasn't aiming to kill" "Hmmm, that's strange. How is she  
  
doing?" Jim knelt down on the ground in order to tended to the injured  
  
woman and he set his full attention on scanning her vital signs for any  
  
other injuries. At the same time Jim's attention was diverted the second  
  
half of the extraction team snared Blair while on his way to the source of  
  
the gun shot sound . "Officer Sandburg," said one of the sweepers, "your  
  
partner... well he just fell down on the ground a few minutes ago and  
  
stopped moving. No one knows what's wrong with him. We need your help."  
  
Oh no though Blair, Jim must have had his hearing turned up when the   
  
shot was fired. "I need you to take me to him now"   
  
"No problem, sir" said the sweeper with a concealed smile. As they headed   
  
off away from the crimescene a sky blue van abruptly stopped in front of them.   
  
" Hey, what's this? Hey you, driver, get out the way!" Blair commanded.   
  
"Sure Mr. Sandburg, anything you say." Those were the last words Blair heard   
  
as a chloroform dipped rag was slapped up against his nose and mouth.  
  
**********************************************  
  
"What do you mean you didn't get Murphy!!" Lyle snarled at the two cowering  
  
agents. "You were assigned to pick up the twerp after Sandburg left."  
  
"Sir, two uniforms interrupted us and we weren't able..."  
  
"Why didn't you just shoot them to get them out of the way. Murphy is THE  
  
REASON why we're here in this stupid little town. Why would you let two  
  
weak cops interfere with our plans!" Lyle was seething with anger.  
  
"Sir" said one of the shaking agents "We figured our cover would be blown  
  
and the whole mission could have been..."  
  
"SHUT UP!!"  
  
pop pop.  
  
Lyle silenced the man with two direct gun shots into his heart. "Now," he  
  
said to the other agent, "he doesn't have to worry about his precious cover  
  
being blown. Do you have anything to add?"  
  
The second agent was violently shaking. "nnnoo...nnn..ooo... sirrrr. Please  
  
forgive me."  
  
Lyle sadistically smiled. I love it when people fear me "Just get rid of  
  
this corpse and don't let me see you face again until I call for you."  
  
"Y..eeessss sirrr, riggght away. " The man practically flung the dead body  
  
over his shoulder and fled the room as if he were being chased by a hungry  
  
tiger.  
  
Now, thought Lyle as he walked away from the scene and headed for the  
  
cell Blair was chained in. it's time to see just how beloved Mr. Sandburg  
  
is by the Cascade PD.  
  
**********************************************  
  
"WHERE. IS. BLAIR!!" Jim demanded of Murphy in the interrogation room.  
  
After the ambulance arrived to help the fallen woman Jim began searching  
  
for Blair. it didn't take him long to realize that Blair wasn't in the park  
  
and that he had been taken relatively close to were Murphy had been  
  
sitting. Methos himself was more than shaken up at the news that his son  
  
had been taken but was retaining his emotions.   
  
"Detective Elision, I already told you, I really don't know." he said in his calmest   
  
voice. "I sat back down on the bench like Blair asked of me. I turned my head when   
  
I saw the other officers approaching and I didn't see what happened next, I  
  
swear."  
  
"You must know more that you're telling me. I know you were lying to him  
  
about the Seacover incident. If anything happens to him, I swear I'll..."  
  
Jim's hand was stopped by Simon as he was reaching out to punch Methos'  
  
face.  
  
"DETECTIVE!, cool down and get. out. of. here now!"  
  
"Captain, He's hiding something and whatever it is has injured Blair. I  
  
need to.."  
  
"I said GET OUT OF HERE NOW Jim! Do I need to have you removed?"  
  
"No, no." Jim gave Methos the look of death as he exited the room. Methos'  
  
face also visibly relaxed when Jim turned toward the door and he placed his  
  
head on the table.  
  
"Now,... one of my best detectives has possible been kidnapped and another  
  
one of my men seems to think that you have something to do with it. Would  
  
you mind explaining that to me?"  
  
"Honestly captain, Blair is my friend. I would never jeopardize him. I  
  
really don't know who could have taken him. I didn't think that I had any  
  
enemies..."  
  
"Here," finished Simon. Methos nodded his head as he quietly banged it on  
  
the table for making such a foolish slip.  
  
"So, are you going to tell me about these enemies of yours? Hmmm?  
  
Specifically the one you beheaded in Seacover?"  
  
Methos looked into Simon's face. Now how shall I handle this one? he  
  
thought. Thankfully the sentinel was no longer in the room or his lie  
  
wouldn't make it out of his mouth before Jim slammed his face against the  
  
wall. "I didn't.. murder... anyone in Seacover. I... I ... was just in the  
  
wrong place at the wrong time."  
  
"Interesting word choice Mr. Murphy" said Mulder. He and Scully entered the  
  
room after Jim was forcibly banished by Simon. "You chose the word 'murder'  
  
very carefully. I believe the captain asked if you had beheaded anyone in  
  
Seacover, not if you had murdered anyone." Scully looked at her partner,  
  
impressed. Only Mulder would have detected something so subtle as that.  
  
Although Murphy was trying to hid his shock at being caught so easily she  
  
saw the look of amazement in his eyes when Mulder spoke.  
  
"I don't know what you are taking about, err.. agent?"  
  
"Mulder, Agent Mulder with the FBI."  
  
"What? No first name?"  
  
"I think the question should be what is your real name, Mr. Murphy."  
  
Methos smiled within himself. Ahhh, this mortal has a bit of gumption. I  
  
better tread carefully around him "My name," he said in his most innocuous  
  
Adam Pierson voice, "is David Murphy. I only used false names at the bus  
  
station for fear of being followed."  
  
"And just who did you fear, Mr. Murphy? Who were you running from?'  
  
"Yes," interrupted Simon. He could see a private tit-for-tac forming  
  
between Mulder and Murphy and was determined to keep the investigation  
  
open. "Who were you running from, and where would they have taken detective  
  
Sandburg?"  
  
"Sir," said Methos again with his disarming tone, "I really don't know. I  
  
don't have any idea who would have taken Blair. But if you really think  
  
that I have something to do with it, you have my absolute cooperation. As I  
  
already said, Blair is one of my few friends here in the States and I want  
  
him retrieved as much as anyone else."  
  
"hmmm, so you say Mr. Murphy. At any rate, in keeping with American law, I  
  
believe you are entitled to speak with a lawyer before we continue with  
  
these questions. Am I not correct Captain Banks?"  
  
Simon looked at the FBI agent as if he had suddenly started foaming at the  
  
mouth. We were on a roll. He hadn't even responded to that little  
  
confrontation. What. is. this. idiot. thinking?" "Uhmm,.. yeah.. right..  
  
sure. We'll have a telephone brought to you right away. now if you'll  
  
excuse us." Simon gave Mulder his most menacing 'I'm gonna kick you butt up  
  
and down the bull pin' glare and visually motioned to the agents to follow  
  
him to his office.  
  
Methos himself had to struggle to keep his jaw from fall. What kind of  
  
game is this.. of course.. he's going to tap into my phone conversation.  
  
Man! I need to find out if there are any immortals in Cascade who like to  
  
use mortals as pawns. If I call Joe its going to look like I'm up to  
  
something. But if I don't... owww man. Okay, okay let me think...  
  
Jim was already waiting for Simon and the feds in the captain's office. He  
  
didn't care if the captain busted him down to meter maid but he was going  
  
to demand to interrogate Murphy himself. He stopped pacing and faced the  
  
door when he heard Simon's approaching footsteps.  
  
"Not one word Elision! Keep your tongue shut for a few more minutes." Simon  
  
growled as he opened his office door. After the agents entered the room he  
  
slammed it shut and pounced on Mulder. "And just was that little display  
  
about Agent Mulder? American law? This guy could be responsible for a  
  
gruesome murder and your offering to protect his rights? You had him on the  
  
defensive and then you gave him a comfortable escape. Just what were you  
  
thinking?"  
  
"Captain Banks, ... I know my statement seemed a little odd.."  
  
"A Little Odd?...."  
  
Mulder held up his hands in the classic time out position. "This guy's  
  
smart, craftily even. We weren't going to get anything out of him in the  
  
traditional fashion. I had to try to throw him off kilter a bit and this  
  
seemed like the perfect method."  
  
"Wait a minute," interjected Jim who had been quietly listening up to that  
  
point, "am I hearing this right, you let this guy off the hot seat. My  
  
partner has been taken by who knows and the only one who might know why is  
  
sitting comfortably in the interrogation room! What is going on here?"  
  
Scully was asking the same question quietly to herself, yea Fox she only  
  
called him that privately when she couldn't figure out what he was up too  
  
what were you thinking?  
  
"Trust me on this detective. I know what I'm doing. Now all we need is to  
  
ease drop on his telephone call and then we will know exactly who and what  
  
he know."  
  
"OOOhhhh," Scully smiled "so much for our sacred American law."  
  
"Scully," Mulder smiled equally brightly at his partner, "you heard his  
  
accent. He's not American." humf  
  
*******************************************************  
  
"Yes, I assure you sir Murphy will be delivered to you on time as I earlier  
  
promised. In two days you will be able to pick him up. ..... No sir, we  
  
don't physically have him yet but our baited trap in already being  
  
set...... No, no sir. The Centre will not disappoint you." click  
  
It had better not thought the man in black. He had expected the Centre's  
  
lackey Mr. Lyle to delight him with news of an early retrieval. Instead, he  
  
was cling to the pick up time established earlier. Slam!!   
  
The man in black whacked his hand on the table. He had grown impatient. After   
  
all these years of seeking he could finally taste Methos' quickening and he wanted   
  
it NOW. He remembered when he first discovered that Methos the myth was indeed  
  
not fiction. His research had taken him to a small town in Australia where  
  
a tribal legend about an ageless man has persisted through many ages. The  
  
man in black had no idea who the immortal was, but since he knew that the  
  
key to success was to learn the tricks of other successful game players, he  
  
traveled down there to find out more.   
  
It was in the village of Dorkshire that he met an old man whose claimed to be a   
  
direct descendant of the Unwayone. The man promised him, for a price, a detailed   
  
recounting of the historical lore shrouding the man's true nature. And it was through   
  
their private conference that he learned to true name of Unwayon, Methos. He was  
  
astounded, delighted and a little disbelieving at the man's tale. The old  
  
man assured him that the Unwayon had proclaimed himself as Methos, but of  
  
course, the old man had no idea why the name was significant. Since the  
  
tribal name given to him had been revered as the name of a demigod, over  
  
time his family stopped telling outsiders that he had called himself by  
  
some other name. At that moment the man in black had assumed his life's  
  
purpose. He himself didn't have a distinct name; his early life as a mortal  
  
was spent as a common Roman slave with only the moniker of 'boy' or 'you'.  
  
He didn't care any more about his lack of identify after that moment in  
  
Australia. His plan was to be forever know as 'Methos' slayer'.  
  
***************************************************  
  
Lyle caressed Blair's chin as he laid unconscious on the table. So just  
  
what do they see in you Mr. Sandburg he asked himself. He turned away from  
  
him in disgust. A scrawny little body and an almost effeminate bearing.  
  
humph. No matter. I may never learn the secret power you have, but I shall  
  
definitely try to reproduce it He looked over at Dr. Kim under the  
  
sterilization hood he had installed in the warehouse. When this is over I  
  
shall have much fun testing your and Mr. Elision's samples. Lyle continued  
  
to smile to himself as he walked down the hallway and opened up his cell  
  
phone. "Marcus, how is plan B shaping up?" "Good, make sure all the teams  
  
are ready to greet Mr. Ellison at the rendezvous point." "Of course Ellison  
  
is going to show up, we have his precious little partner and I doubt he's  
  
going to endanger his life."  
  
********************************************************  
  
Methos paced in the interrogation room in front of the telephone placed on  
  
the table ten minutes ago. He hadn't survived as long as he had without  
  
being able to spot a trap when he saw one. Should I call.... to call or  
  
not to call... that is the stupidest question I've ever had! He was  
  
frustrated. He knew that one call to Joe could not only help him identify  
  
the immortal behind Blair's abduction but would also send the MacLeod  
  
calvery down here to spring him from jail. He had to call, he had  
  
tooo....... but if he called and that annoying intuitive FBI agent was  
  
listening.... he couldn't call, he couldn't risk it.... But what's life  
  
without risk? he asked himself, long and comfortable he answered. "owww,  
  
just do it!!" he yelled at himself. But just before his hand touched the  
  
phone's receiver detective Ellison came burring into the room, slammed  
  
Methos against the wall and yelled "I. want. some. answers. NOW!!!!"  
  
Seven minutes earlier Ellison, Simon and the feds were half way  
  
standing/sitting in Simon's office waiting to listen to Methos' call. Out  
  
of no where Jim's cell phone began to ring. "Ellison!" he snarled . "Listen  
  
closely detective. If you want your partner back safe and sound you will  
  
deliver David Murphy to us tonight at eight o'clock at the Fisherman's  
  
wharf. Come alone and we won't hurt Mr. Sandburg anymore. Bring backup, and  
  
we shall have some fun with him." The phone hung up before Ellison could  
  
utter a single sound. In the background Jim could hear Blair screaming in  
  
agony as his captors lashed at his back with a leather rope entwined with  
  
metal prongs. Lyle wanted to ensure Jim would comply with his demand. He  
  
almost slumped to the floor after the caller hung up but fortunately  
  
Mulder had noticed his facial expressions go from annoyance and hostility  
  
to fear and distress during the phone conversation and quickly shoved an  
  
office chair behind Elision to catch him before he fell.  
  
"What happen?" Simon demanded. "Who was that Jim and what's going on?"  
  
"They... they've got Blair. and they're torturing him. Simon, they're  
  
slashing his back with a leather whip."  
  
"Oh man, oh... what are are they're demands? Come on Jim, pull your self  
  
together. What do they want?"  
  
That's when a look of pure fury rolled over Jim's face darkening his eyes  
  
until they became glacial blue. He immediately jumped out of the chair and  
  
rushed to the office door. Jim was down the hallway before Simon had  
  
recovered from his shock enough to follow him. Scully, being a quicker  
  
thinker and probably the only one calm about the situation raced out behind  
  
Jim to try to stop him from choking David Murphy to death.  
  
"Ugh... y..our... choking me... st...st..stoop..please"  
  
Jim was blinded by rage. His only thought was that somehow this man was  
  
responsible for his guide's pain and he was going to make him stop. Methos,  
  
not as physically large as Jim felt his larynx being squeezed tight beneath  
  
Jim's grip. His throat already had a few lacerations that would being to  
  
heal in five, four, three, two, one seconds...  
  
"Owwwwww!" Jim jumped back from Murphy as what felt like a thousand volts  
  
of electricity rushed into him through his fingertips. "What...what are  
  
you?" He started back towards Murphy but was stopped by Agent Scully and  
  
her pistol.  
  
"Hold it right there detective." she said in a 'and don't try me' voice  
  
and waved Jim away from Murphy with her gun. "Police brutality is a felony  
  
offense." Scully turned to Murphy who was now on the floor covering this  
  
throat. Methos was not necessarily trying to catch his breathe but he was  
  
trying to conceal his rapidly healing wounds. "Are you okay?" she asked.  
  
"How badly did he hurt you? Let me see, I'm a doctor."   
  
Methos rubbed his hand around his throat. Although it was his most sensitive   
  
area, it still healed with the speed only a five thousand plus year old man could   
  
have. "I'm fine agent. Really. he merely knocked the wind out of me. See. I'm not  
  
even hurt." Methos exposed his completely healed neck for Scully's  
  
inspection.   
  
"That's good... but that in no way excuses your actions detective Ellison. I will be   
  
submitting a formal reprimand to your captain regarding this."   
  
Jim didn't respond to her. He couldn't. His body was still tingling from the after   
  
effects of the near electrocution. He looked over at Murphy standing close to Scully   
  
who was supporting the nearly strangled man and saw a blue aura glowing around him.  
  
"What that...."  
  
"Alright Ellison, you mind telling me what caused you to coming running in  
  
here like a drowning man towards air?" Simon demanded, cutting off Jim's  
  
observation.  
  
"He nearly choked Mr. Murphy to death, captain. I don't think detective  
  
Ellison is fit for duty anymore, or at least he should be removed from this  
  
case."  
  
"Noooo, nnooo...please you can't" plead Jim. "I'm soorry, I. .. I went  
  
crazy for a while. But Blair's captors demanded Murphy be swapped for him  
  
and I.. I wanted to squeeze their identities out of him."  
  
"Yeah, and squeeze you did. The way you were pressing against his neck, I'm  
  
surprised there aren't any rips and tears."  
  
yeah, I'm surprised too thought Mulder. He didn't want to voice his  
  
observations publicly as Jim almost had but he noticed the blood stains on  
  
Murphy's collar. Murphy tried to conceal his collar by nonchalantly  
  
fiddling with it but he had accidentally exposed a small area of the collar  
  
showing the blood stains.  
  
Captain banks narrowed his eyes at Murphy upon hearing Jim's confession.  
  
"What do you know about this Murphy." He quietly bellowed. "If this is some  
  
scheme to get you out of jail..." "No Sir. I swear. I have no idea who took  
  
Blair or why they might want me." Methos was silently praying to every  
  
deity he ever believed in that Jim was not monitoring his heart beat as he  
  
spoke. He knew Blair's captors had to be working for an immortal. but  
  
which one?  
  
Methos' prayer was not answered. Jim rose up from his seat with renewed  
  
fury. "He's Lying Simon. He's lying so bad his guilty heart might as well  
  
jump out of his chest." Jim lunged towards Methos with renewed energy  
  
Mulder and Simon acted as physical barriers to prevent Jim from attacking  
  
Murphy again.  
  
Oh man Methos thought, shaking his head. What shall I do Now?  
  
****************************************************************  
  
V part five  
  
"Excuse me," a fairly tall dark haired fortieths looking man choose that  
  
moment to enter the interrogation room. "I'm looking for a.. Captain  
  
Banks?"  
  
"Yes, that's me. And just who are you?"  
  
"Oh, my apologies, " he said as he held out his right hand to Captain  
  
Banks. "I'm Jared, Jared Prince, with the NSA. I'm here to prevent the  
  
possible abduction of an English national." Then Jared looked directly at  
  
Methos. "A Mister David Murphy, I presume?"  
  
Mulder studied the new arrival carefully. He tried to surmise from his  
  
demeanor and appearance what role he would play in this matter. But  
  
unfortunately, he couldn't seem to get past the man's mysterious aire.  
  
Okay, now my day has gone from devastating to cataclysmic though Methos  
  
who had retried as far into the wall as possible.  
  
Mulder addressed the new agent first. "What does the NSA want with Mr.  
  
Murphy, might I ask, and why weren't we informed of your arrival?" He was  
  
livid. This was just like the government, keeping secrets from its own  
  
people and tharwding the revelation of the truth.  
  
"Uhm, may I see some id, please" Scully, the only clear-headed officer in  
  
the room inquired.  
  
"Oh, sure. Sorry. Uhm, anyway, Our sources..."  
  
"Sources?"  
  
"Uh, our intelligence identified present Centre activity in this area and  
  
also that Mr. Murphy was the target. I've been sent here to investigate  
  
those claims and prevent Mr. Murphy's detention by that group."  
  
"The Centre, of course. I should have know by the snatch and grab tactics  
  
in the park. I never expected to have to go head to toe with those  
  
malcontents. So what do they want with you Murphy?" Mulder's eyes turned  
  
towards Murphy.  
  
Methos felt like he was on center stage and the spotlight was stuck shining  
  
singularly on his position.  
  
"Wait one minute. Hold it, I want to know exactly who this Centre is and  
  
why they took my partner!" Jim's voice was gravely and strained. He had  
  
been quietly clenching his teeth while the new fed made his 'proper'  
  
introductions, but now he wanted some answers. "Tell me Murphy, want do you  
  
have that got some organization out there trying to take you by any means  
  
necessary. You've jeopardized my partner and I could care less if you own  
  
the hope diamond." Jim stalked over to were Murphy was trying to hide.  
  
"YOU... had better tell us what this 'Centre' wants and how I can get Blair  
  
back."  
  
Methos held out his hands in the classic 'I surrender' position. Scully  
  
also came to his aide by moving to intercept Ellison.  
  
"Please," Methos pleaded, looking directly into Jim's eyes, "I honestly  
  
don't know who this 'Centre' is and I had no idea that any one knew I was  
  
here in Cascade. I'm just as concerned about Blair's safety as you are."  
  
"I doubt that," Ellison retorted derisively. He had scanned Murphy's vitals  
  
and determined that in this instance the man wasn't overtly lying. "You  
  
didn't answer my question Murphy. Why is this organization after you?"  
  
Methos swallowed slowly.  
  
"I maybe of some assistance with that question, detective" Jared stepped  
  
into the inquisition. He didn't know exactly what the Centre's purpose for  
  
taking Murphy was, but he was sure of both their agenda and their interest  
  
in Blair Sandburg. "The Centre is on the surface an international health  
  
relief organization protected by multiple countries, including our own.  
  
However, underneath they're no different than the Nazis war scientists  
  
under Hitler's regime. They specialize in human genetic modification. They  
  
are constantly looking for persons with unique physical and intellectual  
  
abilities that they can exploit. I'm not sure what about Murphy caught  
  
their eye, but I think we all know why they would be interest in Mr.  
  
Sandburg. Isn't that right detective?"  
  
Simon jumped into the conversation to try to pull attention away from the  
  
sentinel issue. "He's right Jim. Even though Blair publicly announced that  
  
the novel he wrote about you was just a piece of fiction, there are still a  
  
number of people out there who believe it was true." Banks attempted a  
  
short laugh to emphasis his point. "Some people just want to believe in the  
  
unfathomable and unprovable. Kind of like those UFO watchers, you know. Tsk  
  
Tsk. Well, we need to start working on a game plan if we're going to pull  
  
Sandburg out of this."  
  
Scully looked over at Mulder while Banks was talking. Finally, a sensible  
  
man. Maybe I should try regular police work for a while. At least I  
  
wouldn't encounter so many wacky cases.  
  
Mulder only smiled inwardly. He's really trying to downplay the sentinel  
  
thing. Yep, I was right all along. Now how can we keep the Centre from  
  
getting their hands on these two?  
  
"How can we keep the Centre from succeeding?" Mulder asked out loud.  
  
"I'm not sure. We must take their threat seriously. If Detective Ellison  
  
shows up with the most minimum amount of backup, they won't hesitate to  
  
take it out on Blair."  
  
Jim sat down at the conference table and put his head in his hands. "We  
  
can't let anything happen to Blair, Simon. I can't go in without...."  
  
"Don't be foolish detective. You don't know these people. I do. If they  
  
think they can get what they want from taking just a blood sample from you  
  
they won't hesitate to shoot you down cold and sponge the sample from the  
  
ground. Now I do have an idea on how to send you guys in without them  
  
discovering your backup. Captain Banks, I'll need access to some very  
  
expensive surveillance equipment. Do you think you can make the  
  
arrangements?"  
  
"Sure.... hum... just give me your list and I'll make the necessary calls."  
  
Now that's weird thought Mulder Why would an NSA agent need the local  
  
police to commandeer his equipment for him?  
  
He kept his mouth shut about the anomaly, planning to discuss it with  
  
Scully later on.  
  
Methos began to breathe a little easier. This new agent had managed to draw  
  
attention away from him for a while. Hopefully it would stay that way.  
  
****************************  
  
Three hours later, when it was nearly half past seven Jared announced that  
  
he was done making the surveillance bugs. When he explained his plan to  
  
Banks back in his office, everyone except Mulder was shocked and impressed  
  
by his ingenuity. Mulder simply mused quietly about the situation. Now I  
  
KNOW they didn't teach him that during training. This Jared Price guy acts  
  
more like a magician than a g-man. And what's with his name? Prince? As in  
  
the knight in shinning armor variety? Something's not adding up. They all  
  
had remained pretty much sequestered in Banks' office while Jared worked on  
  
his contraption. Agent Prince stated that the Centre's usually M.O. was to  
  
infiltrate a target area with plants and bribes. he suggested that they not  
  
reveal any of his plan to the regular work force, but only to the most  
  
trusted officers. While waiting for Jared to finish, Scully decided to go  
  
and check on Murphy who spent the time in a holding cell.  
  
"Agent Scully, what a pleasant surprise. I'm glad I shall have the  
  
opportunity to thank you personally for your intervention earlier. I was  
  
frighten for my life!"  
  
"No problem Mr. Murphy. That's our job. Detective Ellison was completely  
  
inappropriate and out of line. His captain should consider reassigning  
  
partnerships if Ellison is that attached to Detective Sandburg. Such blind  
  
passion for one's partner can lead to mistakes in how cases are  
  
investigated, not to mention the severe strain it puts on sensitive cases  
  
like this one."  
  
"Perhaps, but Blair told me that Jim's case resolution rate tripled since  
  
they started working together. They make a great team."  
  
"Believe me, the best partnerships need to be shaken up a bit from time to  
  
time. It prevents coworkers from getting too personally attached; loss of  
  
objectivity will wreck even the most honed team. It makes them too  
  
dependent on each other to be effective, and thereby decreasing both  
  
members abilities."  
  
"Well, I don't know about that agent. But from what I've observed...."  
  
"Mr. Murphy, this isn't exactly a social call. I'm here to take your  
  
statement about the Seavcouer murder. Please tell exact what was your  
  
relationship with the deceased and why did you try to evade us in the  
  
first place."  
  
"My, my agent Scully. You are a persistent one. I've got nothing sinister  
  
to hide. How shall I start...humm.. well... Bob, he was an old acquaintance  
  
of mine. In fact, I hadn't heard from him in years until the night before  
  
his death. He...uhm... he told me he had gotten into trouble with some very  
  
dangerous people and needed a loan quickly. he was hiding from them, which  
  
is why I went to meet him at night at the park..."  
  
"Uh hun. And just why did he think he could just pop up out of no where and  
  
'borrow' money from you? Would you care to explain that Sir?"  
  
Uh oh. think fast old man. Let's try throwing her off track "Well, uhm...  
  
you see... and please don't share any of this with Detective Ellison. He  
  
distrusts me enough already. I meet.. Bob... back when I was studying at  
  
Cambridge. I..uhm.. got into a little spat of trouble and Bob pulled me out  
  
of it. If my parents had found out, needless to say I would've spent my  
  
summer at our villa in Ghana. Dreadful place, you see. Any ways, I promised  
  
Bob that anytime he want me to return the favor all the had to do was ask.  
  
That evening, unfortunately, was the first time he asked."  
  
"Uh hun. You do realize that this little 'story' of you gives you a  
  
plausible motive for murder?"  
  
"What! Oh no, you got it all wrong agent. Bob was my friend. When I was  
  
younger, we were almost inseparable..." Oops  
  
"Really? I examine the deceased and he appeared to be at least ten to  
  
fifteen years your senior. How was it that you two were 'inseparable'  
  
during your university years, yet you hadn't kept in touch with him in  
  
about, what, four/five years?"  
  
"Uhhhh... you know how it is agent. You make best friends, you grow up,  
  
move on, that kind of thing."  
  
"Uh hun... You didn't explain the age difference."  
  
"O...see ...Bob, he was kind of a teaching fellow in the English  
  
department...."  
  
"Kind of?"  
  
"Well yes. He offered afternoon tutoring sessions but he wasn't an official  
  
instructor..."  
  
"Go on"  
  
"Well, I need a little help with my studies in Chauer, such a dry old chap  
  
was he. Bob was great about helping me to understand the little twit.  
  
Anyway, that was the start of the most unlikely friendship. Kind of like  
  
Jim and Blair's, you know?"  
  
"Uh hun... go on"  
  
"Hummm, So I meet him a the park, as requested. He was foggily, nervous and  
  
upset. So much so that I also became nervous. I told him I could have the  
  
money for him in about a week. I didn't have access to that much on a quick  
  
access bases and would have to wire my father's trust account in  
  
London...."  
  
"Uh hun.. and just how much was he asking for?"  
  
"About twenty-five hundred pounds."  
  
"Oh really? And you were willing to hand over that much money, without any  
  
strings?"  
  
"Well, sure. Bob had been a great friend, and it's just money..."  
  
"Uh hun... so he didn't have any confidential information about you by  
  
chance..."  
  
"Oh NO agent Scully! You have to understand. Bob and I had been.... okay  
  
old man, you're losing her here. Make this one believable. really close.  
  
There wasn't anything we didn't share back then..cough (Methos cleared his  
  
throat). There was no way I could possibly turn him down, not with our  
  
history."  
  
"Uh hun.... tell me Mr. Murphy, was this the first time 'Bob' had requested  
  
money?"  
  
Great old man. Not only have you lost your tough, but now you've  
  
solidified a motive for murder. Think man!  
  
Methos frowned and looked straight into Scully's eyes. "I see what you're  
  
implying agent, but you are completely way off base. Bob had NEVER asked me  
  
for money. Not during our entire friendship. In fact, I've had to borrow a  
  
few quin from him a time or two when I've been strapped. Bob was an honest  
  
man and I would have never harmed him"  
  
Methos used his most sincere 'trust me, I just save a puppy from drowning  
  
in a lake' look. He knew he could make himself look like a naive, innocent  
  
grad student when he wanted to.  
  
"Hmmm, okay. I apologize of any unkind suppositions. It's just that...."  
  
"I know agent" Methos said while shaking his head sadly. "I'm the only lead  
  
to his death."  
  
Scully was suddenly struck by a realization. "Mr. Murphy, as plausible as  
  
your 'story' may seem; it doesn't explain why you ran from Cascade and  
  
tried to conceal your escape route."  
  
Uh oh, swift one isn't she, "Well the next afternoon... when I came home  
  
from visiting a friend.... I found my apartment door open. I knew Bob had  
  
been brutally murdered but I had know idea who it was that assaulted him. I  
  
was scared, frankly." Methos then put on his despair & fear face. "I didn't  
  
know where to go and who was safe. So I did what I thought was the smartest  
  
thing; I ran."  
  
"Uh hun,... and why did you run to Cascade?"  
  
"uhmm... because... cause I have a few friends in the graduate programs  
  
here, so I figured that I could visit with them until the murderers could  
  
be found."  
  
"Uh hun,... by the way Mr. Murphy you haven't told us what 'Bob's' last  
  
name was?)  
  
This better be a good one "Oh, oops, sorry. Markus, Bob Markus."  
  
"Uh hun,... hmmm." Scully rose up from her seat. "Thank you for the  
  
deposition. You may still be questioned, of course, regarding Mr. Markus's  
  
death, but I will record your denial of any involvement with his demise,  
  
okay?"  
  
"Sure, I understand,... and thank you agent Scully for your sensitivity in  
  
this issue. " Methos took Scully's right hand into her and looked deeply  
  
into her eyes. She Blushed. Methos thought within himself. Don't get  
  
cocky, old man, But I think you've still got it, as he congratulated  
  
himself on his performance. As Scully stood up to leave his cell, agent  
  
Mulder popped his head through the doorway.  
  
"Agent Price has finished with the tracking devices and now we've got only  
  
an hour and a half to get everyone in place before the meet. Murphy. your  
  
presence, of course, is required."  
  
*************************************  
  
Jared tried to convince Captain Banks and the others that they would  
  
necessarily fail on this first attempt to recover Sandburg. Both the two  
  
FBI agents and the major crimes unit scoffed at his seemingly overly  
  
pessimistic out look.  
  
"Look, I not doubting anybody's ability here. I'm just stating facts. I've  
  
dealt with these people on a number of occasions and the current leader's  
  
quite crafty. Our only sure chance of success is to ensue that plan B is  
  
effectively carried out."  
  
Ellison glared at agent Price. Who does this guy think he is telling us  
  
that we can't do our job right. And his heart beat, there's something not  
  
quite together with this guy. "So what do you want me to do? Just hand  
  
myself over?"  
  
"Oh no, they'd surely know our plans if you do that. No. Everyone must go  
  
into this operation at top performance, giving everything you got to secure  
  
Sandburg on the first try."  
  
"What a minute," Mulder fumed, "If that's what you want, what was the point  
  
of your big - the mission will fail- speech? First you tell us it won't  
  
work, now you say give all effort to see that it does?"  
  
"There's no confusion, Agent Mulder. When plan A fails, we must be ready to  
  
immediately switch to plan B. Our window of opportunity will be pretty  
  
small afterwards. But the success of plan B absolutely depends on  
  
convincing the Centre that there IS NO plan B. If they suspect that we've  
  
got a backup , then they're actions will be less predictable. Got it? Okay,  
  
Detective Ellison, is the tracking devise too much of an irritant?"  
  
Jim looked at Price with both appreciation for his concern and annoyance  
  
for his coddling. The small transmitter tapped between his toes bothered  
  
him worse than a half torn hang nail and he was almost desperate to find a  
  
way to shield his senses from feeling it. "I'm fine, agent. now can we get  
  
on with this. There's no telling what they've done to Blair by now."  
  
************************************  
  
Lyle ran his index finger down the right side jaw of an unconcoius Blair.  
  
What is it about you, pip squeak? How do you manage to worm your way into  
  
so many people's lives? "Hmmm, Dr. Kim, have you begun to analyses any of  
  
the samples you've collected from this subject yet?"  
  
"Uh, no sir. I've been busy setting up the quick extraction procedure you  
  
requested for subject C and ...."  
  
"Fine," Lyle waved his hand in a dismissive manner, "We'll have plenty of  
  
time to analyze the samples once we're back at the Centre. Just make sure  
  
your through with all three subjects doctor. If there's something there, I  
  
want the ability to duplicate it without any variations. Understood?"  
  
"Yes Sir!"  
  
It was time for the pick up. Lyle rode with the attack helicopter to the  
  
meeting site. He radioed to his operatives on the ground. "Willie, are the  
  
lights in place?"  
  
"Yes sir!"  
  
"I want you personally to perform a perimeter check. ETA on targets is  
  
twenty minutes and I assure you, if this little seizure fails, you won't be  
  
returning to Blue Cove on a commercial flight. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
Lyle smiled to himself as he heard the sweeper's sharp intact of breathe in  
  
response to his treat. Lyle loved having the power to make people squirm.  
  
After this mission, no one will doubt my accomplishments again.  
  
*************************************  
  
Jim and Methos pulled into the secluded parking lot at fifteen minutes to  
  
eight as instructed. The sun had just finished setting and Jim's eyes were  
  
still adjusting to the change in light. Jim turned towards Murphy and gave  
  
him his coldest stare, "If you, in any way hinder this mission or if I find  
  
out you were involved in this I promise I will disembowel you in less that  
  
five minutes. Do I make myself clear, Murphy?"  
  
Methos swallowed. Okay, so he's a little uptight. "Ji..Dectective  
  
Ellison, Blair means more to me than you know. I would never let anything  
  
happen to him."  
  
Jim only looked a Murphy with more contempt, " But you already have, no  
  
haven't you? Get out the car Murphy, its time to go."  
  
Methos opted not to challenge Jim's assessment of him. His statement hurt,  
  
but Methos knew arguing about it would only divide his attention. He  
  
prepared himself to feel the tale tell signal of another immortal  
  
approaching. He was more than nervous as the second car pulled up and there  
  
wasn't any indication that there were immortal's in the cab.  
  
At eight o'clock a dark colored sedan pulled into the meeting place. Jim  
  
immediately focused his senses on detecting Blair's presence in the car.  
  
Somehow Blair's heart beat and his unique smell were being muted. Jim  
  
increased the dials of his senses to maximum wanting to find out his  
  
friend's exact health condition. Two men in black suits exited the dark  
  
sedan in front of Ellison and Methos. The first one yelled, "alright, exit  
  
the car slowly with you hands up so I can see them."  
  
Jim barely heard the man speaking because he had just zeroed in on Blair.  
  
He could tell that Sandburg had been recently drugged because his vital  
  
signs were registering in a faint, dulled stated. Methos tapped Jim on the  
  
shoulder when he realized that other's commands hadn't registered to the  
  
sentinel. "Ellison, Ellison! It's time to signal the team man. Wake up!"  
  
Jim shook his head trying to clear away the partial zone out. He radioed  
  
the backup team parked a 15 meters away behind a hill. "Captain, it's a go.  
  
Send in the patrol chopper asap." Ellison and Methos opened their car doors  
  
and very slowly began to empty the car. Jim again opened his senses wide to  
  
listen for their approaching backup. As soon as he heard the helicopter  
  
nearing about 4 meters he yelled, "We're moving no farther. Show us  
  
Detective Sandburg NOW!"  
  
"Of course Ellison," relied the faceless man. Jim threw open his senses as  
  
soon as the second man opened up the sedan back seat to pull out Blair.  
  
Suddenly tens of stadium floodlights popped on over head. Methos closed his  
  
eyes and muttered "Oh limme!" Additionally, the thunder of what sounded  
  
like an amplified recording of the Queen's symphony resounded in the park.  
  
Jim crashed to his knees from the pain of the intense sensory attack. He  
  
was so mollified that he was unable to hear to sound of every tire in the  
  
back up teams cars blowing out after driving over concealed metal spikes 7  
  
meters from the meeting site. The police copter was likewise neutralized  
  
when another helicopter flew directly into their flight path and blinded  
  
the pilots with search lights.  
  
Methos immediately took on an attack stance and was able to knock down the  
  
first approaching assailant. Three more jumped him from behind and one  
  
stuck a needle into his neck. The ROG though to himself, awe man, after  
  
all these years to be taken down like this? I must really be.... He didn't  
  
have time to finish his thought before the drugs rushed through his system.  
  
***********************************************  
  
"YES! YES!" Lyle danced around his makeshift office in the warehouse after  
  
ensuring the prisoners had been secured. There wasn't anyone else in the  
  
room with him but still vocally expressed his euphoria. "I can't believe  
  
this one worked. Alright! Call me a mistake, did they? Say I was unstable?  
  
HA! I showed them. Not only have I gained the favor of the man in black,  
  
but I've got fresh new DNA for a new pretender project. YES!"  
  
Lyle grabbed his cell phone after the first ring. "WHAT!?"  
  
"Uh,.. I apologize for disturbing you sir. I just wanted to report that  
  
I've completed the sample extraction form subject B and am being the one on  
  
subject C."  
  
"Good doctor. I've already contacted our client. He should be here in the  
  
next hour to retrieve his order. We haven't much time. He wants the entire  
  
facility vacated upon his arrival."  
  
"Understood, sir"  
  
Now it's time to probe this Mr. Murphy for information. What could be so  
  
important about him to draw the personal attention of the man in black?  
  
***************************************************  
  
Simon was the first one to jump out of the detained cars. Jared and the  
  
rest of the team followed him. "@#%&." Banks swore. "Price, you knew they  
  
would pull a stunt like that. Why didn't you warn us? And Jim, if he's  
  
traumatized in any way because of your failure to disclose..."  
  
"Pardon me sir, but we haven't got time for this. W must implement plan B  
  
now. I suspect Murphy's buyer is headed for the storage site right now."  
  
"And just how will we get there first?" Mulder asked with a frown. He  
  
didn't like the way this Price guy worked. He was soloing too much and  
  
Mulder never cared to be left in the dark.  
  
"I have already triangulated their location from data received form the  
  
tracking device I attached to both Jim and Murphy. There is an abandon  
  
warehouse two kilometers from the meeting site. It's unregistered which is  
  
why we didn't find it earlier on the area map. I suggest we reassemble the  
  
team and head there now. I've already made maps of the area highlighting  
  
the most obscure approaches."  
  
"Well thank you very much for taking over the operation and assigning roles  
  
with out even a hint of consultation with the locals!" Banks was fuming.  
  
"Look captain, I understand your anger. But as I said, I Know these people.  
  
To have informed you of my plan in advanced would have jeopardized it. If  
  
you could retain your irritation momentarily. As I stated earlier, our  
  
window is very small. I would be surprised if Murphy's buyer was already  
  
there now. We need to stop talking and go NOW! There is an addition set of  
  
cars stationed 11 meters away outside the meeting area perimeter waiting  
  
for us. I made arrangements for them earlier. I suggest we start running."  
  
Simon was livid, but he couldn't argue with Jared's assessment. He  
  
immediately turned to his men and order them to race towards the awaiting  
  
cars. Mulder was equally frustrated and bemused by Price. Before he began  
  
to run he glanced over to Scully. She simply raised her shoulders and  
  
signaled 'beats me' with her eyes. Mulder decided to stick closer to agent  
  
Price.  
  
**********************************************  
  
Methos woke up in a cold, brightly lit room. He was strapped to a metal  
  
chair with leather cords and was totally bereft of clothes. "Tsk, I hate  
  
drugs." He spoke out loud to no one in particular.  
  
"And why is that?" Lyle asked as he approached from behind.  
  
Methos jumped slightly at the voice. He had expected to wake up to the  
  
telltale feel of an immortal's presence if he were t wake up at all. The  
  
mortal startled him.  
  
"Who are you and just what do you want?" The ROG asked.  
  
"Now, that's exactly what I would like to know from you Mr. Murphy." Lyle  
  
pulled another chair and sat down in front of Methos. "I would like to know  
  
what makes you so special that my client wants a private meeting with  
  
you,..( he looked up and down Methos' naked form)..ahem... unarmed"  
  
Methos smirked at the ignorant mortal, ah ha, I've got a bit of time  
  
still "Just what are you asking, or should I say propositioning"  
  
"Lyle stood up with a look of disgust. "I am the one holding all the cars  
  
here, fella. I suggest you answer my inquiries," he said sternly.  
  
"Oh, really?" Methos was laying on the pomp and sarcasm thick. I've got to  
  
get rid of this twerp quick "I think... that Your Client... didn't feel  
  
that you were important enough, no.... secure enough to be let in on our  
  
little business. And now (Methos then looked Lyle up and down in a similar  
  
fashion) that I see his courier for myself, I agree wit his assessment.  
  
"I...I..." Lyle grabbed Methos by the neck, "you better tell me everything  
  
n...."  
  
"No, YOU better remove your fifthly paws off of me now. You well know if so  
  
much as a hair leaves my body or a fingernail is chipped, your client will  
  
have your butt in a meat grinder." Lyle reluctantly released Methos' neck.  
  
"Now I suggest that you and your little troop of merrymen go run along home  
  
before your client gets here. It could get real ugly if you don't" Methos  
  
then gave Lyle a toned down version of his Death on a horseback glare.  
  
"And, I strongly suggest that you immediately release detectives Ellison  
  
and Sandburg."  
  
Now Lyle puffed his chest back up, he's helpless and he knows it, he  
  
though. "And just WHY is that?"  
  
"Because when your client finds out that you jeopardized this meeting in  
  
order to go after them; and trust me he will find out; you're going to wish  
  
that your butt was all he wanted cut off." Methos looked straight into  
  
Lyle's eyes with one of his most hateful and 'I mean business' stares. Lyle  
  
swallowed hard.  
  
"en...Enjoy your meeting," Lyle said with a biteless sneer as he made a  
  
quick exit from the detention room. That man gives me the creeps He  
  
immediately got on the telle, "doctor, what's the status on subject C's  
  
samples?"  
  
"Almost done sir. It's been a little hard completing the collection while  
  
keeping him under. This man revives quicker than any one I've ever seen to  
  
the ...."  
  
"Tell me the details later" Lyle barked. "We have got to get both to those  
  
subjects up and out of here in twenty minutes!"  
  
After Lyle casually fled from the room, Methos shook he head with a  
  
sardonic laugh. Good to see you still have it, old man. I was beginning to  
  
wonder Next, Plan to get down to business, Methos began to work out of the  
  
cords binding him. His hopes of a quick houdini escape were dashed as he  
  
felt the metal link cord that ran on the upper side of his bounds.  
  
"Crap" he muttered. His assailants used leather restraints to prevent and  
  
type of bruising or tearing but their cords were fortified with metal for  
  
security.  
  
Now how I'm I going to get out of this? Think old guy, or you soon won't  
  
be able to again  
  
********************************************  
  
Whew! Time for a little break; stretch your neck, grab a pop... whatever. I  
  
would like to stop now, but since this story has been incomplete for OVER  
  
ONE FULL YEAR, I shan't. Pity. ;-]  
  
Jared, Mulder, and five other Cascade PD officers flew over in advance to  
  
the warehouse. Mulder kept one eye on the flight and the other on Price. He  
  
noticed that Price brought along a long duffle bag that he insisted on  
  
holding during the entire trip.  
  
He is not getting off this plane without my inspection of that bag. It  
  
hadn't escaped Mulder's awareness that be bag's shape conformed perfectly  
  
to either a large semi automatic weapon, or.. a sword. price had refused on  
  
several occasions to identify the item stored inside. He would mysteriously  
  
claim "NSA business, agent Mulder. You know how that is." Mulder's eyes  
  
narrowed. Humf... so smug and pretentious that one. Who's to say he's not  
  
really in on this thing with Murphy? Humf.. NSA my @#$&. This smells like  
  
another cover up ot me.  
  
Fortunately, for Methos, the Cascade team's copter made it to the warehouse  
  
before the man in black. As the team began disembarking from the copter  
  
Mulder made a wild grab for Price's bag. Jared yanked it out of his reach  
  
just before he was able to touch the outer shell. "Agent! I could have your  
  
shield for that! What about NSA business did you not understand."  
  
Jared and Mulder faced each other outside the emptied craft. The rest of  
  
the crew had already left to set up position for the ground team.  
  
"I have some serious questions about your role here Price" Mulder  
  
confronted Jared. "You have been displaying some very questionable actions.  
  
I don't even think you're following NSA protocols. I want some answers now  
  
Price before this goes any further. And don't give me any half answers, no  
  
one is outside scrutiny."  
  
Jared closed his eyes and took a deep breathe. before answering. "I' sorry  
  
that you feel this way agent. I had hope that this would work out smoothly.  
  
I hadn't factored in encountering and overly inquisitive federal agent."  
  
"Well to bad your not going to get your way here Price. Now about my  
  
answers."  
  
"Yes, there's just one way to answer this scenario..." Jared looked Mulder  
  
straight into his eyes before he set down the bag. Mulder's head dropped to  
  
follow his motion. Jared's right fist quickly bent into a fist and he  
  
plastered Mulder near his left temple. the agent fell to the ground like a  
  
dead tree limb. "My apologizes"  
  
Jared picked up the bag and ran towards the back of the building.  
  
***************************************************  
  
Simultaneously, Lyle had just confirmed that Ellison and Sandburg were  
  
secured in one of the exiting Centre vehicles as the man in black's copter  
  
landed. He gave orders for the vans to move out. Their trajectory was going  
  
to place them right inside the blockage Banks had set up outside the  
  
warehouse's camp. Lyle radioed Willie on the separate helicopter waiting  
  
for him to board. "Be ready to sprint out of here as soon as I board!"  
  
"Understood, sir"  
  
The man in black stepped out of the aircraft. He was carrying a long black  
  
case and had a dark hood draped over his head. Lyle extended his hand in  
  
greeting but the man ignored it.  
  
"He's inside." the man confirmed rhetorically.  
  
"Sir, it has been a pleasure...."  
  
"Get out of here now Mr. Lyle. I have already transmitted payment to both  
  
the Centre's and your personal bank accounts. I want you and all of your  
  
men out of here NOW. Do you understand me?"  
  
Lyle nodded his head in wonderment. He was unable to see the man's face but  
  
was certain that the voice uttering from under the cape was not that of an  
  
old man but someone younger, maybe even younger than himself.  
  
Without another moments hesitation Lyle ran and up into the helicopter and  
  
order the pilot to go.  
  
***************************************************  
  
@#$% Methos swore to himself. he felt the other immortal's presence even  
  
before he heard the craft's blades cutting the air. It's an old one. An  
  
old one who's breaking the rules. The ROG shook his head again. His wrists  
  
had already healed from the numerous cuts he had received while trying to  
  
slide thorough the bands. May my wretched soul rest in piece he thought.  
  
However, as if he was watching the dawning of the first day of his  
  
existence, Methos stared open mouthed at the side window as it was forcibly  
  
lifted up from the outside. Methos let out a huge sigh of relief.  
  
Agent Price, what are you...no I don't care.... I am glad to see you. Get  
  
me ot of this quickly, please!" Jared immediately ran across the room and  
  
examined the tethers holding Methos. He easily discovered its weakness and  
  
freed Methos. Mr. Murphy, a police team is positioned just beyond those  
  
trees. I suggest you head off in the other direction."  
  
"Wait, " Methos grabbed Jared's hand holding the duffle bag. "What's that?"  
  
Jared frowned. "A friend of my recommended that I bring this 'just in  
  
case'. he didn't explain it any more but I've learned to comply with  
  
whatever he says.  
  
Methos thought about the immortal approaching him. I could just leave,  
  
scott free. But then that immortal would still be out there, on the loose.  
  
Umf, I've been hanging around the boyscout way to long. "Listen, Jared, if  
  
that's what I think it is, leave it. My business isn't done here. but I  
  
suggest you better take off now. Whatever the outcome, this place is going  
  
to be flattened like Nagasaki within the hour."  
  
Jared nodded and headed back towards the window. "Hey, Jared... whoever you  
  
are, thanks."  
  
***************************************************  
  
Next follows a really cool fight scene between Methos and the man in black.  
  
I love well written fight scenes.. they're heart palpitating, eye straining  
  
causing, on the edge of your seat sitting...etc. Unfortunately I can not  
  
write a good fight scene. ^ ^  
  
So here's where your- the reader if there are any- imagine shall join in  
  
the story. I would welcome any story inserts of well written fight scenes  
  
and even give the authoer (gasp) EQUAL billing on this magnificent work  
  
(snicker,snicker) Any who, scene starts with bad guy opening door,  
  
surprised that Methos' loose, includes some snide comment about Methos  
  
gallantly protecting immortal society from rule breakers, and of course  
  
finished with Methos blowing up half the town after decapitating bad guy.  
  
Excessive amounts of blood spilt, but since blood stains lets keep it down  
  
to a minimum, okay?  
  
***************************************************  
  
Mulder awoke just as the quickening's rumble began. He was less than 10  
  
meters from the warehouse but, once realizing that the energy wave was  
  
emitting from the warehouse he wisely decided to run in the opposite  
  
direction. The first blow from the storm sent out a pulse that added 3  
  
meters to Mulder's retreat.  
  
THE NEXT DAY  
  
Banks, Mulder, and Scully sat around the captain's desk that morning trying  
  
to piece together the missing clues in resolving the case. Lyle's  
  
helicopter had gotten away and the lower ranking sweepers caught by the  
  
police were in unison refusing to provide the police with any information.  
  
The Centre made sure it had control of all of its operatives via familial  
  
threats or the such like in order to ensure absolute animosity in case  
  
failure occurred. Mulder's contacts, i.e. the lone gunmen, confirmed that  
  
Jared was not an NSA officer and all three of the law enforcement officers  
  
were surprised by the reports of Jared's previous heroic deeds provided by  
  
the gunmen.  
  
"What I don't understand" said Scully, "is why someone with a M.O. like  
  
Jared's would risk himself to help a cold blooded murder like Murphy."  
  
"That is if he kills in cold blood." Mulder countered.  
  
"Mulder, you saw the dead body found in the warehouse reckage. That kid  
  
looked no more than twenty-five years old. How can you suggest it wasn't  
  
cold blooded?"  
  
"Pardon me, Agent Scully but your statement assumes two things- one that  
  
Murphy really wasn't kidnapped but that this meeting was all a set up. In  
  
which case, it definitely wouldn't make scenes that this Jared person would  
  
help him. Second- that Murphy is the one who beheaded this man. For all we  
  
know the story he gave you was right and the Centre was just trying to tie  
  
up loose ends. Either way," and Banks threw his hands up in the air, "I  
  
really have no idea about what happened here."  
  
"your right, sir. I can't just make conclusions about Murphy's guilt. For  
  
all we know, Jared was trying to protect and innocent from one of the  
  
Centre's plots. What's also weird, and please don't share your explanation  
  
Mulder, is how there was an explosion of that magnitude without any  
  
residual plastics or radiation."  
  
"Scully, my explanation is the only one that makes sense give the evidence  
  
surrounding us."  
  
"So, agent Mulder, you would have us believe that both Murphy and the  
  
beheaded guy are part of some alien infiltration group that never ages but  
  
would self- explode it ever beheaded?" Banks asked the fed incredulously.  
  
"Doubt me all you want, but I tell you, its the only answer that makes  
  
sense."  
  
Scully shook her head sadly.  
  
"But you know what?" Mulder said as soon as the realization struck,  
  
"speaking of loose ends, Murphy seemed to be unusally interested in  
  
Dectective Sandburg. After all, the Centre successfully used him as bait to  
  
capture Murphy. Do either of you have any idea on that issue?"  
  
"Actually agent," replied Banks, "I've wondered about that myself. How did  
  
they know that Sandburg was connected to him in the first place?"  
  
"Ahem, are you two forgetting that the kidnappers used Sandburg's  
  
relationship with Ellison as the lure to get to Murphy. But I'm pretty sure  
  
that they knew taking him would make Murphy all the more compliant."  
  
"@#$&%, they must have plants all through the station!" Banks swore. "I'm  
  
going to have to do a background check on every officer who would have had  
  
contact with this case. Great. And just when two of my best officers are  
  
out of commision..."  
  
"Wait a minute!" Mulder stood up aburptly, "Why didn't I think about this  
  
earlier. The Centre must have people working as office clerks throughout  
  
police departments. That's how they intercepted our faxes on Murphy in the  
  
first palce. You guys usually don't do background checks on clerks, you  
  
even order them up on a temporary basis."  
  
"That's right. All we need to do is track the source of our most recent  
  
clerk temps that that shall lead us to the moles."  
  
"Great," Mulder sighed as he sat back down, "at least one mystery was  
  
solved. Scully, I still think we should pursue ..."  
  
"Mulder! Don't even suggest we should follow up on that drunkerd's  
  
testimony of seeing a blue halo surronding the explosion site. The man was  
  
so inebriated he could barely hold his head up through our interview. Face  
  
it, this one x-file is going to have to be shelved in the incomplete  
  
folder."  
  
Mulder shook his head at Scully. He knew there was more to the witness'  
  
testimony, if only he had more concrete information. The truth is still  
  
out there he thought to himself.  
  
********************************************************  
  
Jim had just left Blair's side five minutes ago to await Naomi's arrival in  
  
the hospital lobby. After receiving Blair's earlier call, Naomi made  
  
arrangements to return to Cascade to visit her son. She was panic-stricken  
  
to learn of his attack and Jim was not looking forward to the scathing  
  
greeting he expected to receive from her. Methos, disguised as an intern  
  
had been watching Blair's door from across the hall. When he heard Jim ask  
  
the nurse to keep an eye out while he went to receive Naomi he was  
  
overjoyed by the opportunity. He knew he should have immediately left  
  
Cascade after the near miss, but he couldn't go. He couldn't give up on the  
  
opportunity to explain t his son, to see him and make amends one last time.  
  
The sweepers had really beaten down Blair during his captivity. The bruises  
  
and beatings he had received left him partially unconscious. That's why  
  
when he first awoke, he though he was still dreaming....  
  
# It was that wonderful dream he use to have as a child. Oh, Blair thought  
  
to himself, it had been so long since he fantasized about that voice that  
  
he believed he had completely forgotten it. It was the voice of his father,  
  
or the one he hoped was his father. He was flying through the air; up and  
  
down, up and down. he was laughing; his voice sounded light and merry.  
  
Suddenly the motion stopped and he found himself completely wrapped in a  
  
man's arms. The man's right hand was caressing his face. 'I love you  
  
Blairybear, your dadda loves you so much.' Blair giggled. He felt so safe,  
  
so protected. 'I'm so sorry all this happened Blairbear, I never wanted you  
  
to get hurt.' Blair was confused. He had never heard and apology in his  
  
dream before. 'Your dadda loves you sooo much!" Blair smiled again. Ahhh,  
  
that's what he remembered. Huh? Blair felt a cold, wet drop of liquid fall  
  
on his cheek. This also was new. Was it raining in the park? What's wrong?  
  
What's wrong, Dadda? #  
  
Just as Jim and Naomi neared Blair's door Jim heard his guide's heart beat  
  
quicken. Something is disturbing Blair! Jim panicked. He also heard  
  
another voice in the room with Blair. It was a male voice, speaking in  
  
soothing, quiet tones, but some how it sounded familiar. Blair's heartbeat  
  
increased. "Naomi, something's wrong with Blair!" Jim abruptly said as he  
  
left her and went racing towards Blair's room.  
  
" Wha...what are you doing here? Get your hands off of him!" Jim's eyes  
  
were burning red. He pulled his gun on Methos. "MOVE, move over to the wall  
  
and put you hands out were I can see them."  
  
"Jim..." began Methos, "let me explain.."  
  
"You can explain all you want, behind a cell wall." Jim barked.  
  
Methos slowly backed towards the wall. Naomi finally caught up and ran up  
  
to Jim when she saw that his gun was extended.  
  
"Jim what's going on? What's happening to Bl..... oh my gods..." Naomi  
  
looked up at the man Jim was holding at gun point. He looks just like.....  
  
it couldn't be....  
  
Before his brain kicked into gear Methos blurted out, "Naomi"  
  
"Shut up" Jim commanded Methos, "Just shut up. Naomi, Naomi do you know  
  
this perv"  
  
"It can't be, it can't be you.... Your... your dead. I felt your pulse....  
  
your face...." Naomi reached up an grabbed Methos' face. She held it in her  
  
hands, twisting his face back and forth like a mannequin. Then she looked  
  
into his eyes. "Oh gods, it is you! But how?," she gestured up and down his  
  
torso, "how could it be?"  
  
"Naomi, Naomi do you know this man?" Jim was deeply confused by Naomi's  
  
response to Murphy.  
  
Blair began to regain consciousness. He shook his head back and forth on  
  
the pillow. Jim momentary forgot Murphy, who was still dumbstruck and  
  
stationary before Naomi, and went to his friend's side. "Blair, Blair, its  
  
me, its me Jim. What is it, chief?"  
  
When Blair's eyes opened Jim swore he was looking into the innocent orbs of  
  
an infant. Blair answered in a quiet voice, "Dadda, Dadda's crying. Why is  
  
dadda crying?"  
  
"What? What are you saying chief?"  
  
"Da... Jim, jim" Blair clutched Jim's hand that was resting on his left  
  
cheek. "Jim I remember my father's voice!" Blair tried to stand up but Jim  
  
kept his guide from injuring himself.  
  
"Naomi, I..I didn't mean for us to meet again this way. I wanted to tell  
  
you.. but you ran away... I couldn't find you, I looked everywhere, but you  
  
were gone..."  
  
"Oh David!" Naomi clung to the one true love of her life. Unwiped tears  
  
were streaming down her face.  
  
"Mom? Mom what are you doing here? And why are you hugging... David?"  
  
"Blair!" Naomi beamed. She grabbed Methos' hand and dragged him over to  
  
Blair's bedside. Jim stood up and tried to push Murphy away. "Naomi, do you  
  
know what you're doing? Do you know who that is?" Jim bellowed.  
  
"Calm down Jim!" Naomi was still smiling. Gone was any confusion about  
  
Methos' ageless appearance or of his bizarre arrival in her son's room.  
  
Naomi felt nothing but joy and happiness. She lifted Blair's right hand and  
  
placed it into Methos. Blair looked from the hand placement to David then  
  
back again to his mother. Jim's jaw began to twitch furiously.  
  
"Blair, may I introduce... oh this is silly. Honey.... this is David, David  
  
Blair- your father."  
  
Jim's mouth literally hit the floor.  
  
***************************************************  
  
Lyle frowned after he hung up the telephone. The Centre and its sister  
  
agencies were in an uproar. The man in black, the cornerstone glue holding  
  
together so many shadow agencies was dead. The official report was that he  
  
was found dead in a warehouse outside Cascade, WA, beheaded. Lyle wasn't  
  
adding any more information. The triumpherant knew he had a meeting with  
  
the man, and from the 2 billion dollar deposit added to the Centre's  
  
treasury they assumed the meeting had gone well. Lyle himself was nervous.  
  
The man in black hadn't told many people about his deal with Lyle and he  
  
was afraid he might be assigned the blame. All day people were stealthily  
  
glancing at him and discreetly whispering behind his back.  
  
This is the worst day of my soon to be over life Lyle though sadly to  
  
himself. Just one day ago he had be rejoicing over his achievements; and  
  
now, now he was afraid for his life. How did my life get so topsie turvy  
  
Just as Lyle began flipping through his hidden journal of potential hide  
  
out listings, his private cell phone line ran. He answered, jaded and  
  
melancholy "Mr. Lyle here."  
  
"Mr. Lyle", said a gravely voice, "I'm jut calling to let you know you  
  
still have a friend. Just lay low for a few weeks and I'll take care of  
  
everything from my end."  
  
"Who..who is this?...what"  
  
"Lyle, don't ask questions. Just follow my instructions. Alright?"  
  
Lyle pondered the nameless voice on the other side. What did he have to  
  
lose? He didn't feel comfortable about the caller but on the other hand the  
  
man knew his private number. One a few very choice callers got his private  
  
number.  
  
"So were would you like me to lay low at?"  
  
"Open your top left draw. you'll find tickets, hotel reservations and  
  
travel cash. Don't even pack a suit case. Just go and after every thin has  
  
calmed down again, I'll call you back."  
  
Lyle opened his drawer and found the promised tickets. "Got it, I  
  
understand. Tha...." Click  
  
The cigarette man man looked up at his contact. "The last loose end had  
  
been sealed. His contact merely nodded his head.  
  
THE END  
  
That's right folks! That's all I'm gonna write into this story. Whew! I'm  
  
wiping the sweat from my forehead. 


End file.
